The Theater Within

There is a Japanese saying that was viral on social media. It goes: “The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends and your family. The third face, you never show anyone.”
It’s a short, elegant statement of the psychology about the notion of personae, or masks. We present ourselves differently to different people. In face one and two, we show things to those close to us that we don’t show to the world. The third face can be anything that we don’t show to others. If it is our true self or things that we choose to keep private.
Who am I when nobody is watching? What an important question to answer hey?! ‘Know thyself’, is the oldest saying in the books.

What is the face I'm showing myself?
No one will ever be able to tell you what face you are showing to yourself. It is impossible. The best we humans can do is to ask each other questions about each other, yet our language is incapable of communicating this efficiently and sufficiently to others. It’s almost like we have to be okay withholding a secret for ourselves even if we would like to tell others about it… What a bizarre way to look at it.

How can I find out more about my faces?
There are many ways one can find out more. It depends on what your preferences are. Self-observation is key to digging deeper. Depending on how easeful you find it to raise self-awareness you are going to try different things. Meditation, walking, running, writing, etc. are all ways to look deeper. Reflecting on experiences we had with the outer and inner circles in our lives.

How can I be my authentic self?
We remain authentic as long as each face contains some real part of us. You will know if you are not being yourself. You will feel that you are not yourself…