This little light of mine?

I was thinking this morning about what an interesting thing one's character and personality is, and how different people tend to bring out different sides of our personality. Whether that's the difference between how we seem to our casual acquaintances and co-workers vs. how our closer friends see us or the way that one friend brings out a wild side while another causes us to think more deeply about things. We are, of course, the same person in all those circumstances, yet how different we might seem to someone observing all these different interactions!

We are like some object being observed under different lights: we may look one way in the common, everyday, full-visible-spectrum, but we look different under a black light. Ultraviolet brings out different characteristics, and infrared gives still a different view of things. And on and on as people shine their different lights on us.

The flip side, of course, is that we ourselves are shining these metaphorical lights on those we're around as well, though the metaphor does break down when we consider that, for most of us, it's not just one light that we shine, we don't just bring out one thing in every person we meet (or try and fail to bring it out). It's a complex interaction between two personalities that brings out particular characteristics of each.

It's not even, of course, just our direct interactions with people that bring out different sides of ourselves: they can also influence us when we're apart, as we continue to think about something or consciously or unconsciously modify our behavior.

Two things, I think, come out of this: on the one hand, there can be something quite valuable from interacting with a wide variety of people as they each bring out different sides of ourselves, helping us to be fuller, more rounded. The opposite can be seen too, as people allow themselves to become quite narrow through their associations. On the other hand, it points to the necessity of being a bit selective in who you surround yourself with, choosing people who bring out the facets of yourself that you value the most, the things that align with the person who you most want to be; and, likewise, minimizing--if not your contact with--your closeness to people who facilitate the habits of thought and action that you like least about yourself.

Make it three things by adding the importance of having new lights shine upon you and seeing what new sides of yourself come out. Make new friends, but keep the old, blah blah blah. Eh. If I was going to come up with something profound and new to say about this, I probably would have done so by now. Take it for what it's worth and know that I've appreciated all your bright new personalities that blogging has allowed to shine upon me. Have a great weekend!

tags: "serious"  

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