How many roles have you had in your life? I ended up considering that after a short playful time with TikTok AI filter. It’s so natural to us as human beings take a certain role in our life. For many people it’s even essential for surviving. In a way our life is a constant role play, where we need to adjust our behavior according to our surroundings.

I started counting my roles, and stopped at 23. There’s no point in it. Main thing is to stay in a role we want to choose ourselves, not the one the other people want us to be. For example I’ve been told to stop laughing so loud, not to attract attention, and it has caused me to stop being myself. It happens so easily. We put a person in a certain role, and if he/she doesn’t fit in, we give negative feedback. As a parent we tend to keep up with this casting after it’s not necessary any longer. When a child is young, they need guidance how to behave in a group, but after those first years, it’s not appropriate to continue casting into certain role. I have also noticed that it depends on culture how far this role casting continues. In some cultures the child will remain in a child’s role as long as their parent is alive.

With this post I want to raise awareness of how we see other people. Do we allow them to be what they wish to be and behave the way they want to behave? Or do we limit the behavior of our spouse, parent, child or friend by judging the way they use their voice or dance or what ever they are doing? Journaling is a good way to become aware of our habits, and it has helped me a lot. I recommend daily journaling.

With all the faces and all the roles,

Joana