“A person shows his or her character by what he or she laughs at.” – African proverb
During a contemplation on the human personality, Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, profoundly said, “Man cannot stand a meaningless life.” His words sum up the deep human need to seek meaning and purpose in existence. As sentient beings, we yearn for significance in our lives, and this quest for meaning drives us to explore and understand our own personality. It also moves the great common heart that beats in the chest of humanity by articulating the elemental truths of being: what it means to love, what it means to be mortal, and what it means to live with our fragilities and our frissons.
The essence of the human personality is one of the reasons the works of philosophy still triumph. The questions associated with understanding the human personality have become works of wonder and wonderment that bypass our ordinary resistances and our cerebral modes of understanding, entering the backdoor of consciousness with their soft, surefooted gait to remind us of who and what we are, whilst inspiring a sense of duty to seek purpose and live meaningfully. And not only do they grant us self-awareness, but they form the foundation for crafting a life aligned with personal values and aspirations.
Primarily, the human personality is a complex amalgamation of thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and behaviours that over time defines an individual. It is your unique tapestry of experiences, upbringing, and cultural influences, which has shaped your worldview and interactions with the world. It is an interplay of nature and nurture, moulding each person into a distinctive individual with selective dreams, desires, and aspirations. But at its core, is an invitation for us to embrace diversity and to recognise, across the accordion scales of time and space, that our differences and uniqueness are nature’s fulcrum of resilience and wellspring of beauty.
While it is true that we are hitched to one another and to everything else in the universe, we still need to unearth our uniqueness to be able to create the much-needed synergy in our coexistence. As individuals, we need to understand our personalities to help us conquer one of the supreme challenges of the human life, which is, to borrow Rainer Maria Rilke, the Austrian poet and novelist’s phrase, “go to the limits of your longing… Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror, just keep going, for nearby is the country they call life.” We cannot live fully if we do not know who and what we are. We need to find ourselves and to fully step into our space and own our desires for a wonderful life. A life that is not fuelled by the vanity of our egos, but one aimed at the grandeur of neighbourliness that divines our longing for living eternally. The ability to do that is the deepest root of our personality and our mightiest, most vulnerable means of wresting meaning from our mortality.
As individuals, it is our personalities that are often tested in times of adversity. Without a fuller understanding of it, we panic and forget that everyone of us is a miracle transcending reality, and the interminable hunger in us lead us on continual hunts, in in which challenges and mishaps happen along the way, even to the most prepared and intelligent amongst us. These setbacks offer opportunities for growth and self-discovery. Thus, embracing such experiences as learning opportunities empowers individuals to develop resilience and find deeper meaning in overcoming obstacles. And the ability to find meaning in difficult circumstances can be a transformative experience, providing strength and hope to navigate through the trials of living.
Take a moment to lounge and reflect on the cities of your unique personality. Appreciate the different aspects that make you who you are. Just as the roses bring beauty to the sand, let your personality enrich the lives of others. Embrace the flaws of your personality and you would work on them, knowing that it is your distinctive qualities that make you special. Each aspect of your personality, like a small and lovely flower, contributes to the beauty that makes you who you are. That is why it is important to find yourself. You are an immutable force, so leave a lasting impression on those around you. Your work, like that of the wild roses, is to touch the hearts of others, filling them with a simple joy and a sense of wonder. Be smart and embrace the balance of your personality, allowing your imagination to soar and tease your mind with the endless possibilities that lie ahead…
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Kodwo Brumpon is a partner at Brumpon & Kobla Ltd, a forward-thinking Pan African management consultancy and social impact firm driven by data analytics, with a focus on understanding the extraordinary potential and needs of organisations and businesses to help them cultivate synergies, that catapults into their strategic growth, and certifies their sustainability.
Comments, suggestions, and requests for talks and training should be sent to him at kodwo@brumponand kobla.com
