The perfect balance

Ever imagined yourself as possessing multiple distinct characters or personalities, such that what you are eventually is an inter-play of the many characters? Yes, it seems close to a medical situation called the Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD, or even Dissociative Identity Disorder as some like to call it), but there is a subtle ‘stark’ difference. But first let me try to define broadly the various characters I expect in every person.

The concept of philosophical thought tries to define the human conduct as an inter-play of three forces, the desire, the emotion and the wisdom. Further, as per Plato’s descriptions, if we are to understand the same, he says that a Utopian society would exist only if the ones who are dominated by desire work in the state’s economy, and be the businessmen, the merchants and the farmers, the ones dominated by emotion lead the state’s armies, be ministers and fight as warriors, and finally, the ones dominated by wisdom, the philosophers, take on the reigns of the state and become the worthy rulers.

But if I try to disintegrate this concept further, I see some six characters which generally interplay to bring better awareness to the seventh, or the true self. All these would seemingly fit somewhere in the three broad categories given in the paragraph above, but that is irrelevant to us as of now.

The first character focuses on the physical needs and the physical well-being. It speaks on behalf of the physical body. The second focuses on living the life within the societal norms, and is primarily driven by material desire. It is the primary doer for the physical. The third focuses on the mental developments and speaks the mind, but of the mind that has been controlled and has been chained to function according to the societal norms. The fourth challenges the status quo and the societal norms, and is the one who asks the questions that make you seek. The fifth is the advisor, who seeks to answer the questions asked by the fourth and tries to probe more into the realms of philosophical thought, trying to marry logic, the reason and the known, with the spiritual, the mysterious and the unknown. The sixth is the one that meditates on in harmony and in rhythm and houses the music of the soul, the peaceful and the calming music of the soul. And finally, the seventh, the true self, is the one that oversees and governs, and favors one or more of the six characters while it tries to acclimatize itself physically and mentally to the workings of a living form. It continues to strive to strike the perfect balance between the spiritual and the material living.

Now, back to the subtle ‘stark’ difference – in the condition of MPD, the true self itself gets divided into two separate entities through a process analogically similar to the biological mitosis, and hence, you are two different people now, with each one of you choosing a different interplay of the six slave characters. There is no single commanding character anymore and hence, you as a ‘one’ are for ever considered irreconcilable by the society.

I am not much interested in the happenings of the medical condition of MPD, but I am very much interested in learning more about each of the rest six characters I possess so that I can better harness their strengths for a perfectly balanced living. I also do believe that none of them is supposed to be ignored, for they all exist for a reason.

Disclaimer: this is all a part of a work of fiction, and may not be confused with any scientific fact or theory!