Is there really an authentic self?
The beloved Canadian literary character, Anne of Green Gables, famously said 'I'm so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers'. I for one agree with Anne. October is a wonderful month, an in-between time where the cooler fall air means wearing cozy sweaters, drinking hot cocoa and sitting by the fire watching the leaves change colour. But the best part of October, for kids and adults alike, might just be Halloween. An opportunity to dress up and be someone else for a day. I was reminded of this just last week with all the neighbourhood children, along with mine, out in droves in their costumes.
I've written before about how children relish in the opportunity to embody different characters on Halloween or through make belief and storytelling. But really, don't we already play many different roles throughout our lives as adults? Even in a given day we are many different people depending on where we are and who we are with. During Covid, some of these lines between our different roles started to blur - work and home, formality and leisure. Maybe that has contributed to the notion of bringing more of our private selves into the public realm, even into the workplace. So as we say goodbye to October and usher in a new month, it's helpful to reflect on what an authentic self really means, if it exists at all in a consistent way or if it is ever changing.
Photo credit: Paige Cody
