Warning: For all whom hate math, tread lightly...there will be some terms
I often like to think of myself as a sphere. The radius is the measure of my culminative experience of life, and therefore is constant or in a state of expansion. As you well know a sphere doesn't have sides, but mine certainly does; at least according to you. When we interact with people, especially new people, we try to share our spheres and hope that at least some of our radiai coincide and our respective spheres overlap. When we meet someone with the same musical tastes for example, we can intereact more deeply then if they are respectfully different. However when we try to share our spheres, and we focus on the overlap, the rest of our sphere is unexpressed. That's why Mr. DJ Spooky brings up the idea of multi-plex personas. Most of us are incapable of sharing our entire lives, our spheres, with those that we share a common interest. Try telling your drinking buddies about how you enjoy watching ballet...chances are not too much overlap. Thus, we are going to act differently around them then someone with which we share that part of our sphere with.
The great power in people lies in our ability to parameterize and transform what we don't share into something that we can. To transform an object in three space into two and two into one until we get to a point (mathematically and verbally) where we find at least something in common about each aspect of ourselves.
Some say people are vastly different from each other. I think we are just transposed expressions of the same fundamental points that cause our spheres to look like other shapes to other people. Because for us, the only radius that we can measure truly is our own (if we can), we only see the lopsided shapes of peoples' lives that they show us. Thus we act and perceive multiple personas for the same individual.
Illustrations would help I feel, but I hope you pulled something out of it atleast.
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4 comments:
I like your analysis in geometrically graphing your persona(s). it's difficult to quantify certain aspects of one's personality, some people believe it can't be done, others it can. In either case it helps to visualize the vectors of our personality pointing and leading us to new experiences, and enhancing our understanding, expanding our sphere so to speak.
I like the intersecting radii. According to your sphere model, the parts of the sphere that overlap are shared aspects from person to person. So if two spheres have the same raduis and center point, then they are the same sphere, implying that any people who fit this criteria aren't unique from one another, but in fact can only be one person. So does that demand that everyone is unique?
Everyone is unique due to time, place, etc. (Can't have two people in the same physical space at the same time, thus must be at least a minute difference).
Note though, not everyone is "special." Our generation often gets blamed for cockiness because our parents often told us this, or so some say.
I think that's an interesting stance on the whole thing. I actually agree, I believe everyone is an individual and everyone has the right to choose what is right/wrong for him/her but I also give you props for stating that 'everyone is actually pretty similar with minor tweaks from the mold'. I agree with that, I understand people because they are so similar.
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