A truly soulful person can be recognized by the fact that his inner world—his feelings, aspirations, and worldview—manifests as a unified whole, aimed at a profound understanding of the meaning of life and at deliberate, meaningful actions.

The Integrated Soul: Beyond Superficial Impressions

A truly soulful person can be recognized by the fact that his inner world—his feelings, aspirations, and worldview—manifests as a unified whole, aimed at a profound understanding of the meaning of life and at deliberate, meaningful actions. Such a person possesses the ability to experience life not superficially, but with complete engagement, which allows him to maintain resilience even during times of trial.

In contrast, a person with superficial traits—often referred to as someone with a “dusk” of a soul—limits himself solely to external manifestations, evaluating life narrowly based only on superficial impressions and fleeting moods. For example, as noted in one of the sources:

"He lives on the surface of life and does not delve into its depths, feeling and perceiving only the superficial aspects of phenomena and judging everything in a shallow manner; his horizon is narrow: he lives by the concerns of the moment and judges everything from that limited perspective. ... Such a person may adhere to the rules of communal living and everyday morality, may possess kind dispositions and feelings, and may be a 'good person' in a conventional sense, but he cannot provide a meaningful direction to his life nor yield genuine fruits of goodness" (source: link txt).

It is also important to note that our first impression of a person, although it may be formed from individual, scattered moments, does not give a complete picture of his true essence. As explained:

"You saw the person for the first time. You do not yet know his life, his actions, his beliefs, and his feelings. ... When something is known about a person, but there is no 'overall impression'—which can only be acquired by truly observing him—it means that many separate, partial aspects of the person are known, but there is no single, indivisible, absolutely unique element that unites all these partial moments..." (source: link txt).

Thus, unlike the person with superficial traits, a truly soulful individual possesses internal integrity: his emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects are united in a single pursuit of truth and inner harmony. He does not confine himself merely to superficial phenomena, but is capable of deep feeling, analysis, and action based on a unified, meaningful life stance. It is precisely the absence of this integration and unity that manifests in people with superficial traits, distinguishing them from a genuinely whole, deeply living soul.