persona

[Guest guest]

Hi Mark,

>Thank you for this reminder. This was an interesting weekend. I think

>the name game was truly a last ditch strategy to keep some part of my

>persona intact (some sarcasm directed primarily at myself perhaps). It

>was all a joke, but at the same time it was all serious. I am letting

>go of the "professional scientist" part of my mask. It never fit well in

>the first place, but it was stuck on with a lot of "real effort glue".

>Peeling it off is not easy.

 

I think it's easier if you just realize that it's a mask... Neumann, a

Jungian, refers to it as the personality image... seeing the personality

as the whole level, extending into the subconscious, and the personality

image as that construct which you think is you... until you finally

realize it isn't.

 

It's a mask, and you can wear it or not wear it. You don't have to have

it... though I think we do need to use _some_ persona when we interact

with other people. Trying to be without any personality makes Jack a dull

boy. But it doesn't have to be that one. You could create another

personality image or persona, as many actors do. You could also use a

persona from another life, if you have the memory. But it's easiest to

just use the persona you've spent so much time developing. And knowing

that it's just a mask to use makes a world of difference.

>As I do so, I find some serious pain in

>concepts such as "failure" and "abandoned", "rejected", which I am

>probably milking, but that's not the intent. The intent is to let it

>exhaust itself so that I don't continue to carry it around.

 

Sometimes when life gets difficult, it's hard to remember that it's just a

mask and not you... hard to lift away from the emotions. I once wrote to

Sandeep that I was having a difficult day, and said:

>It may not end for a while - the outcome seems uncertain. I'm trying not

>to care, but that's like straining to relax! ) Think I'll go play with

>horoscopes for a while!

 

Sandeep:

>May I suggest that you be aware of the fact that you care and also be

>aware that you are hoping not to care about the outcome.

>A witness around whom this drama of caring, not caring, hoping, fearing,

>expecting a particular "type" of outcome, all this drama is taking place

>around the witness which is really you. The drama is not you but the

>witness to the drama is you.

 

Dharma:

>I feel more like an actor on stage. Trouble is, I'm a "method" actor. Hard

>to step out of it.

 

Sandeep:

>Aren't we all?

>The trick is to remember the "role" one has assumed on the stage of life.

>Nothing wrong with any "role" and I repeat any "role". Only remember it is

>a "role" not you.

-----------------------

 

Mark:

>I think I

>am also debunking the "serious spiritual guy" part of my mask, and of

>course giving Harsha a hard time simply because I'm Satan and out to get

>him.

 

Satan? Where did that come from?

>But seriously, you guys are so helpful in making something that

>feels serious (even devastating) into a lark. In the end, I think it'll

>all be just fine.

 

It's the greatest adventure of all! But as my son has pointed out, an

adventure isn't always fun at the time.

 

Love,

Dharma