You say, Aurora, we have many “I-s” or “personalities”.
I am used to consider personality as one. In normal speech we say “she has a strong personality”, “a well-built personality”, “there were many personalities”, “he was a great personality”…..
I have little experience in inner research and I don't understand all you say: How can I recognize personalities in myself? If there are many such personalities in me, in which of them am I when I am doing something? Who am I?
Jan 08, 2010 Rating
The same word can have different meanings by: Aurora
Dear Michelle, I think there is a problem with words. A word can have different meanings. One of these words is personality. Personality can be the part of us that is not the Self. If we (as we normally do) are identified with the personality, then when we say "I", we mean our personality. Therefore it is right to say: "He was a great personality", when we speak of a famous man. It would be disrespectful to say that of Buddha or Jesus, because we believe they were not identified with their personality.
Even if, as In this case, personality appears to be one, it doesn't mean it is one. We have conflicts within ourselves and, where there are conflicts are also opposite factions. These opposite factions within the personality could properly be called "sub-personalities". I prefer to speak of separate personalities, because they often relate to external believes or schemes, or alliances more than to the individual. The alliance with outer forces can be so strong that the individual initiate a struggle against some part of himself, which becomes then the "enemy".
In the effort to disidentify from these parts that struggle among themselves, I prefer to consider them as separate entities (at least until they are integrated).
