On personality

30 June, 2026

The Tower of Fools

I used to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes me, me. What parts of my personality are truly unique and what is derived from external sources. I’ve jokingly told people that a bulk of my personality comes from a single person - a very close friend of mine. And for a very long time, I believed it myself and never questioned it.

But on starting the practice of introspection once again, I soon realised that my belief was mistaken.

The Tower of Fools. That’s the title of one of my favourite books of all time. I’m not gonna dive deep into it here (as I did on goodreads) but reading this piece of literature made me realise how much of an effect the books I’ve read have had on my personality.

Anyways, the question I’m trying to ask is that despite how uncontrollable our life is and the events which ultimately shape our character, can we still pick and choose traits to add to our personality?

People say that you should “be yourself”. That’s bullshit.
I don’t think that we should be ourselves. I think we should be better.

And as I’m writing this now, alone in my bed, miles away from home (7687 to be exact), I’m realising how foolish of an endeavour it is to dissect one’s character. It’s a waste of time and at the end of the day I’m just gonna come up with an analysis that paints me in a good light and leaves out the shadows.

But as stupid as it may be, I’m happy to call myself a fool. Just another one in the metaphorical tower.