In 1886 Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson published a novella entitled "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide". You might be familiar with the story. It is usually interpreted as a description of a split personality (the good one versus the bad one). But, instead of two personalities coexisting in one individual, I rather think that the two sides of the same personality are portrayed here, the two sides of the human personality, common to all. The character Dr. Jekyll represents your good side, your true humane nature, i.e. who you really are: a decent, kind, loving person. Mr. Hide portrays the hidden, lowly instincts that are there, inside you (and everybody else), but that you try not to let come up to the surface of our "way of being". At this point, what can you learn from the story? Do you believe that these two traits are intertwined in such a way that they can never be untied, separated? That "man" is bound to be a mixture of good and evil forever? That this is the way it is? My opinion is that this is true only to a certain extent. It is undeniable that the human nature shows different facets of behavior, both positive and negative. Now... Positive Thinking says that, in order to improve yourself, you have to go back to your "true" nature, become like a child again: innocent, enthusiastic, always in awe. Your nature is good. The "evil" manifestation is like a patina, a dark layer that dims the light that is there. Is it possible to eliminate the dark and let the light shine again, in every part of your being? I believe it is possible. How? By becoming aware. When you examine yourself in depth, you understand a lot about your motivations. As a consequence you understand others more, you become more lenient, less selfish, more caring. And so, little by little, you can learn how to truly love yourself and others. And your Mr. Hide will dissolve in thin air, it will disappear, because his existence had never been real.
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