A Double Personality

3 minute read

Most of us possess two natures: one for the eyes of the world and one for ourselves.

We rarely reveal or act naturally from the private one because doing so can make us vulnerable before others.

The nature shown to the world is most often produced by thought. The private nature usually reflects the soul and the inner world and is revealed only to those who love us or whom we trust.

I will call these two natures the superficial self, shown to the eyes of the world, and the soulful self, kept private.

The superficial self may be the strangest and most nonsensical, especially in people who find it extremely difficult to reveal their soul or inner world, even to those close to them.

Sometimes, even after revealing themselves, they do everything possible to hide and surround in mist whatever they disclosed.

Although such people may be highly communicative and full of life, within their souls they are lonely and deeply inward. Outwardly, they are changeable and sometimes even try to deceive their own inner selves.

This is why, although they appear surrounded by friends or seem to make friends easily, they end in solitude and even drive away the friends upon whom they might have relied during difficult times.

The soulful self is like a diamond among stones because its value becomes visible only when it is genuinely revealed.

Some people do not hide their inner world. They disclose it and reflect it in all their actions. These people may suffer the most in society. Instead of being recognised as good, they are considered easy to deceive and exploit.

Very often, they follow a religious path. Their lives then change completely, and in time they may become pillars supporting their faith.

Others among them possess powerful personalities and find it harder to adapt to a system. They end in solitude, although inwardly rather than outwardly.

In the outer world, they may be greatly sought after because their inner energy nourishes many souls searching for inner experience.

These two selves are not standards that define the human inner world. They are extremes, usually present in equal proportions within each person.

When they fall out of balance, "hell" is unleashed within someone who neither accepts nor values their inner experience.

When the soul is reflected in what you feel within, when your experience seems to exceed your understanding, choose silence and prayer. Do not choose to mask or extinguish the experience, because this generates an entire succession of hardship and suffering for both you and those you love.

Above all, do not choose a superficial life. It harms the soul, and the suffering that follows may no longer be soothed even by inner experience. God may seem to have no ears with which to hear you.

Outward suffering may be calmed through small pleasures or a balanced life. The suffering within can be transformed into happiness only by God through His love.

First published in Romanian on 2 July 2010. This English translation preserves the perspective of that period.

Original Romanian article: Dublă personalitate.