And how do you differ depending on who you are around?

I was thinking on Thich That Hanh's words today.

'Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness means that something is empty of a separate self.'

And I realized I have many selves. I was raised to speak and act a certain way, so with my parents, I am one way. With my wife, I am another. With our children another, work, and so on. And yet even alone, I am still yet a different, separate self.

I have so many selves.

So which self am I? That part is easy. It is the self I am when alone. It is the most carefree, loving, and compassionate self, and it is the self I wish to have remain, as I empty myself of all these other separate selves.

I do not claim that this was Thay's meaning. But I have a feeling he would agree that this is a good step to take.