PERHAPS there is no term more commonly used, and misused, than "personality." All Christian Scientists should be clear as to its meaning; and yet to many, especially the beginner in the study of this beautiful, simple religion, it seems often to be an occasion for stumbling. The young student may hear it used captiously, and he may be warned against it; yet, try as he may to understand it correctly, he is much disturbed to find that, in the opinion of others at least, he is being victimized by it at every turn. If he is not careful, he finally becomes more or less mesmerized by it. Is it any wonder, then, that in this confused mental state, the subject of personality may assume grotesque and distorted shapes? The student, finally, may become so unhappy over it that nothing but a clear, sane, simple explanation of the truth will enable him to recover his poise, and relieve him of his almost superstitious fear in regard to it.
If any such should read these lines, let him remember, first of all, that fear never results in good. A horse may be afraid of a steam-roller, until he is led up to it and allowed to see and quietly investigate for himself; and the more intelligent the horse, the shorter the triumph of the steam-roller. There need be no panic over personality. Rather, let us walk right up to it, and see it for what it claims to be, but is not.
To begin with, personality should never be confounded with individuality. To put the two terms in the simplest possible English, personality is what a man to material sense seems to be; individuality is what he really is. The word "personality" comes from a Latin root-word, persona, meaning "a mask." Personality, then, is only a mask, a covering, a veneer, a cloak or disguise with which a mortal may appear to cover his true selfhood. Absalom was beautiful to look upon. We are told that "from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him;" and by means of this pleasing personality, together with blandishments, flatteries, subtle suggestions, and a show of insincere affection, he stood beside the king's gate and stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. For Absalom wanted to be king. Beneath all this outward veneer was hidden a wicked purpose. The day came when he openly rebelled against David, his father, and called the men of Israel to follow him into battle. And the Bible record says, "They went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing." Of course not. That is the nature of mesmerism, of "mere personal attachment." (See Rule for Motives and Acts, Manual, Art. VIII, Sect. 1.) It stupefies its victim, until he literally knows "not any thing." But the blind followers of personality awoke later to see their mistake. Absalom was killed in battle; and when they saw this, "all Israel fled." Naturally! They believed there was nothing left for them to lean upon. When the frail human prop of personality was gone, they seemed to be without anything at all, because there had been no real substance there in the first place—really nothing for them to rest upon. There is no Principle in personality to support it; no Mind in personality to direct it; no intelligence to supply it with anything. When Absalom was gone, all seemed gone. To lean on personality is a dangerous thing, now as in that bygone day. It indeed proves, sooner or later, to be what Mrs. Eddy says about "a material staff" in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 66), "a broken reed, which pierces the heart." No wonder "all Israel fled every one to his tent." To their mistaken sense they had not a thing left!
