Persona

I for the longest time didn't fully understand what exactly the personas are. I mean, I know that they are like an alternate self that represents your true self, but even that didn't always make sense. If we're going by that logic, then why do some people have shadows and not personas?

But I think I get it now, and by extent the meaning of the games, thanks to this poem. We all wear a mask, one that represents the side of us we prefer others to see, because the mask hides our flaws and desires, and only shows our good qualities. The mask is a filter that hides the dark side of ourselves, our shadows. But whether we like it or not, that shadow is a part of us, those distorted desires and wicked thoughts are our own. It's a side of us that no one wants to admit to having, even though we all do. At the same time, the mask we wear is a part of us too, a side that we focus on, we want the mask to be the only side to us. But by denying our shadows, by denying our negative qualities that we so desperately hide, we make the shadow grow. We make it transform into this dark presence that lurks in the back of our minds. It becomes the very thing we were afraid of, the shadow of ourselves, a culmination of our worst qualities. And eventually, the mask that shoes the best side of us starts to fade away, as our shadow takes over.

The only way to stop it from happening is to stop trying to deny or get rid of the shadow, and accept it for who we are. The mask, the shadow, it's all us. We need to accept our negative qualities, accept the fact that we are human, and we have a dark side. But there is more to us then these distorted flaws, for we still don our heroic mask. Awakening your persona means accepting every bit of yourself for what it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly, all of it. Because our persona represents our TRUE selves, and when we stop filtering ourselves, we can achieve our full strength. Because we all know how powerful a persona is when we let it free. That's a metaphor for us setting ourselves free, letting all of our qualities take form. The persona is us, whether it be a gentleman thief, a rugged pirate or a dominatrix, it's what we are on the inside through and through. And our inside self, our inner spirit, our TRUE person is good, bad, and powerful.