I recently wrote about how we can never truly understand people
https://counter.social/@thewebrecluse/109506889792411151
Between friends and family and coworkers there are multiple versions of ourselves that exist and that doesn't even count social media. Everyone who is aware of you, who knows you, who likes you and hates you sees you completely differently and perceives you in a reality that is specific to them. Even your own view of yourself is different from how you actually are.
So, who are you?
This is especially true on the modern version of social media where people literally represent themselves by only the ideals they hold and as brands to promote those ideas rather than actual, individual people. You can only come to know the billboard that represents who that person is and not that actual person ... they probably only have the same PR and marketing version of themselves in their own minds as well. Who knows. You can't truly know anyone because most don't truly know themselves.
If 10 people hate you and only 3 people like you ... which ones are wrong about you and which ones are right about you? Or all they all right about you and just have different levels of bias or transference towards you based on aspects of you that they themselves cannot see clearly? Their reality where you exist is different from other people's realities where you exist. To someone you are a friend, to someone else you're the Devil, and still to someone else you're just simply invisible ...
You don't exist to people who aren't even aware of you ... so do you not exist? You do ... just not to them. In their reality you don't exist. You have no face, no body, no value. To others ... you're the end all be all of their life and they can't imagine the world without you. To someone else ... you're someone who should be removed from the world and not allowed to exist. There are many versions of you and there are also no versions of you. You are also (hopefully) ever-changing and growing.
So ... I repeat.
We can't ever truly understand anyone. We only have a vague idea of who people are based on what they share of themselves and even then that is not their entire self - only the stuff they themselves are aware of - and even still ... how we hear them, how we interpret them, how we view them through our own lens isn't accurate either.
You can only listen and you can only ever do your best. But the truth is we are all strangers even sometimes to ourselves.
𝘐𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺. — Elaine Barlow (December 1985)
13 year old me was not playing around 😂
@thewebrecluse So thought provoking. I believe/think that a person's core being never changes but a person's intellect, emotion and ego evolve and grow to become more integrated with their core. Like smoothing out rough edges. And then there are those who never evolve/grow and I truly feel sad for them because it's a really wild and enlightening ride.
@mistressticia I guess I would ask what this core is made up of that is already formed and not capable of evolving?
Unless you're talking about something more spiritual and less psychological.
One works from the inside out and the other outside in. We are formed of all the things that shape and evolve us ... that creates our character (along with how we behave and how those behaviors are reinforced or not).
If you mean more spiritually then I share that sentiment to an extent ❤️
@thewebrecluse I meant more spiritually 🙂 I love your #FirstCoffeeThoughts. 🖤
@mistressticia You're very kind to say so. Thanks ❤️
The fact that this is how I wake up, with this kind of stuff in my head, is probably very telling 😂 It makes for an exhausting life I can tell you that much. 😂
@thewebrecluse I do the same. So I get it and very much appreciate it. As far as telling, why yes it is. You are my people!😉 Have a great rest of your day!!!
@mistressticia ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Given the level of impossibility to answering that question ... it stands to reason that the same holds true in how we see other people and that true understanding of people is just as impossible. Reality exists for each person differently ... perception is different for everyone so there are no two alike worlds in this regard. You can't exist in someone elses reality as a true version of yourself; only as a vague idea or as a sum of ideas that someone else believes or that you represent.