The latin persona, related to the greek prosopon, meansĀ mask having been used by actors on the stage.
The term personal or personality is used in contemporary times to point to a distinguished individual called "I". And there is a call for developing personality in order to appear as very special and individual "I".
Almost nobody has in mind the original persona notion actually being a mask.
"I" is really a mask, behind which the divine is hiding. "I" is the public appearance in this world, and "I" is not the whole, but merely a hologram of the whole. "I" is not the full reality but pointing to it. "I" is the temporal mask of the all-conscous all-in-one trying to experience many colours.
You might watch "you" (or your appearance) in a mirror. Maybe you try it being naked. You look and perceive something, which actually is not you really. You should rather say: this is not me, but it belongs to me temporally, here and now.
There is no reall need to develop personality, but rather a conscience of actually being divine, being part of the all-in-one.
From there it comes, that we say:
actually I am love, which I can share. Actually I am all that is and can be. And actually I am also you, for we are only expressions of the all-in-one in different colours and seasons...
Replies
....*just to point out that "prosopon" doesnt mean "mask" in Greek... it means "face"...
the mask that used by actors in stage, or if someone uses a false identity to appear different to people is called "prosopeion".
Correct, in latin literature they used really persona for prosopon, but I didn`t want to go deeper in that, but you are correct...