Has trying to ‘be authentic’ misled you to think that you are a one dimensional person, and that there is a one truest aspect of you that you must always present to the world in order to be true to yourself and others?

Or has ‘being authentic’ become an excuse for you to act on impulse, following the whims and fancies of the moment? Has ‘being authentic’ become a shield for you to indulge in rudeness, or anger, allowing you to simply explain yourself and say, “I was just trying to be myself.” 

However, we ought to understand that humans are not one dimensional, with only a single ‘true self’. And one cannot expect one’s actions to simply be guided by moments of emotions that surface in our hearts. 

The Jews understood that everyone had many “faces” or different true sides to themselves. 

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.”

Psalms‬ ‭18: 25-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Even God has many faces! 

‎יש לה פנים יפים (pah-neem) is the Hebrew word for face. It is always in the plural, meaning “faces”. It is never singular.

The face (e.g. emotions, actions, behaviour) that I choose to show to people should be a thoughtful outcome of how it brings benefit to others, myself and the situation.. 

For instance, if I am a sales person serving my clients,, I would choose to present my courteous and helpful ‘face’ towards my customers, even if I had a really bad day. 

If I am discipling my child for behavioral issues, then I can choose to show that I am firm regarding my stand, even if I can empathise with the child’s foolishness. 

Being thoughtful to others, yourself and the situation before you act appropriately does not make you any less authentic. 

I would like to suggest that a very important key to training and enhancing our emotional quotient begins with recognising the multi-faced-ness of ourselves. This is so crucial for success in life.

May you begin to love and accept your own ‘faces’!