Personality word
comes from “persona” which means mask, in literal sense. Mask is just like a
peel of a fruit and peel does not hold any significance of its own. The glow what
peel reflects is because of the fruit which is embedded with this. We can’t
keep the peel shining and glowing by sprinkling the water if the fruit is
rotten. So, likewise personality is not like wearing a certain kind of mask all
the time. Mask is only relevant as long as we are playing a certain role. After completion
of that role we need to unmask ourselves, otherwise we start feeling bored. And
this is the main reason of the epidemic which is known as "boredom", particularly
in the privileged class across the world.
So, if
personality is not a reflection of the individual essence, then it is
just like a peel which is not embedded with the fruit anymore. Now, let’s try
to understand development of the personality with the analogy of the tree. The
first building block is the belief system; it’s like the root of a tree. Belief
system is like programming of computer software over which the functioning of
the hardware system depends upon. There are multiple factors like environmental
influences, level of exposure, familial background and so on which helps out in
shaping a certain belief system. The next step is the thought process which
fundamentally depends upon the belief system, every thought what we come up
with, crops out of the belief system and these two building blocks resides in
the root which is not visible.
Hence, now we need
to understand that whatever we think of anything is our own creation. We are
the creator of our thoughts; nobody else is responsible for that. How we
respond to an external stimuli is our own choice and that is being governed by
the conditioned programming or the belief system. Let’s imagine a situation;
the result of the final year of a graduate program is being displayed. The student,
who has topped the chart, is obviously very happy and for him the whole ambience and atmosphere is very pleasant. But, the student who got failed, for him same ambience and atmosphere may seem very boring and obnoxious. So, it’s not the
weather which is changing, it’s the two different minds who is perceiving the
same weather differently as per their respective state of mind.
The next block
is of the feelings. Feelings are nothing but the intense thought pattern. The
kind of feelings we have most of the time, that shapes our attitude towards
life. So, feelings and attitude constructs the trunk of the tree. These two
factors are the supporting block of the tree of the personality. Then, the last
two blocks are action and habit. The kind of attitude we have developed over
the years that reflect in our each and every action. When our multitude of
actions get repeated, that becomes our habit and when all our habits got
accumulated that becomes our personality. Actions and habits are analogous to
the branches and leaves of a tree. And the outliner of the tree loaded with the
fruits and flowers tell about the personality of the tree. And this personality
has a very rigid and concretised form and we start getting identified with
this.
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| ROOT-Belief System & Thought Process TRUNK-Feelings & Attitude BRANCHES-Actions & Habits OUTLINER-PERSONALITY |
Therefore, these six
building blocks, namely Belief System, Thought Process, Feelings, Attitude,
Actions, and Habits are the foundation stone of the personality building.
Whether this personality belongs to a person or an organisation, these six
crucial blocks will always be there. And once I came to the realisation and
understanding of these building blocks, I’ll no more be a personality. I’ll be
spontaneous, unpredictable, and absolutely effortless in all my efforts. I’ll
be driver of my personality, and will not be driven by my personality.
So, the next
time when I am unhappy with
my responses or actions, which is being performed by me without my consent, even for
the years; but that response is bound to happen bypassing my faculty of mind
and intellect. Then, I need to work upon my conditioned programming which is
responsible for that response. If I am not happy with the outcome of my life,
and still giving the same input with the similar software, expecting that the some
magic will happen, and output will be transformed, so that is not going to
happen. For a changed output, input and software must be changed. Likewise, if
I want to keep the branches and flowers of a plant fresh and live, I need to
provide the water and nutrients into the root, and not on a particular branch
or flower.
And who will
tell me that the time has come to revamp the software, nobody, but my own life
experiences will tell me. If I am not happy with my actions, feelings and life
experiences then, these factors are enough indicators that my programming has
become obsolete and irrelevant. Time has come to rewire the fundamental
programming with the pragmatic and dynamic intelligence and not with the handed
over dogged dogmas and beliefs.
