“Unless you know the basic mechanics behind the workings of the ego, you won’t recognize it, and it will trick you into identifying with it again and again. This means it takes you over, an imposter pretending to be you.” Eckhart Tolle (from The Power of Now)

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Watched a documentary on Bob Hope last night, and the conclusion was that Hope over his years of trial and error in the spot light, created a successful comedic Persona. He was always ON. He was always performing. And his Personal reaped huge rewards of fame and wealth. But no one knew who the real Bob Hope was. He never broke the con. Once your successful Persona becomes crystalized, the free flowing awareness that is you takes on the shape of the persona, the role.

The Hope Persona was a clever characterization of everyman: Hope’s character was always full of bravado, but when challenged, he ran for the door. He was always full of Hope that one day he would win the Oscar, and always successful incorporated his weaknesses into his persona. With Hope you always knew what you were going to get.

But Hope’s Persona didn’t change with the 60s and the anti-war movement. A persona is a role, and roles can’t change to fit a new play that wasn’t written for the character.