# The Authenticity of Many Selves By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-12-23 There are very few people around whom I want to spend time. The implications are that one may conclude that I'm antisocial. This is not necessarily true. I also don't want to pay my taxes, but I do it anyway to avoid jail and contribute to society. Similarly, I suspect that people I exclusively work with think that I'm not antisocial at all. I regularly engage them in conversations about non-work related things to get to know them better as people. This helps me with work and allows me to continue learning about the human condition of others. But there is only so much extroversion I can put up within a day. Behind the scenes, my wife and those closest to me know my more genuine, non-work self. This dual identity may be concerning. Is one version more authentic than the other? Can a person be authentically two versions of themselves? To answer these questions, one must decide what is meant by authenticity. Perhaps it means to be true to yourself. Thus, many might think you cannot be two different things, so I'm inauthentic at work or home. However, this assumes that there is one version of truth and self. Is there only one truth? There may be 20 truths. Is there only one self? Perhaps there are five in constant rotation to help one survive various situations. We like to think we are one self living in one truth, but has one ever been surprised by how one reacted in an unexpected situation? People say things like, "I never knew I had it in me" or "I'm sorry for how I acted; I wasn't myself." These words betray the concept of one self. I wouldn't be surprised if, one day, science discovers that the idea of one self is an illusion created by conscientiousness to fill in the gaps or switches between selves, just as our brain fills in the gaps of single images to give the illusion of movement. So what then of authenticity? It may also be a delusion or another way to say know one's many selves and don't lie. The paradox must mean an essential truth is awaiting to be discovered. #### Related Items [[Reflection]] [[Society]] [[Psychology]] [[Authenticity]] [[Self-Actualization]] [[Truth]] [[Cognitive Biases]]