I am having some trouble. I don't think I actually want to say what my trouble is though, that is actually part of my trouble. Life has been dramatimes. And as much fun as it is to sit on the sidelines and watch sometimes, it's sadly gotten old.
It's really great when you can say you trust that people like you for who you are. But what if you goto school for a year or two and come back different? Then things change. As have I. And I have an irking suspicion that people haven't adjusted to the change. It's easy to say it's a bad change, when you're on the outside. It's easy to say, but is it true? Can personality changes be good or bad? I think that they are only so good or bad as people see it and accept the change. No matter how tall you've grown, you can still be short in someone's memory and that's what they focus on. Change is not arbitrary, perception is. I know it's easy to keep an image of someone in a freeze frame, and not let that change as the person changes over time. It gets people into trouble with each other, it makes relationships last longer than they should, and it is hard to avoid.
I know I have changed in some ways and not in others over the past four years. The biggest changes have happened probably over the last year. This means that I am not the same person I was last summer. These changes go by me very quickly and suddenly and I don't really even notice. A lot of times I've had talks with someone where I realize a part of me or a way I act has changed. It's a strange thing to discover something about yourself, but I know it is all true and am okay with change. While I do not notice the changes right away, others do. This makes it interesting because I feel like I'm supposed to notice when I change and say "Hey! Look at the new me!" Which I guess is what this is. I've changed, and I'm not going back because I am happier with myself than I can remember being. I probably have flaws and stuff people don't like about me, but who doesn't? Everyone has changed, we all are at the prime of our changing selves, and it makes us all (in my opinion) more interesting.It's really great when you can say you trust that people like you for who you are. But what if you goto school for a year or two and come back different? Then things change. As have I. And I have an irking suspicion that people haven't adjusted to the change. It's easy to say it's a bad change, when you're on the outside. It's easy to say, but is it true? Can personality changes be good or bad? I think that they are only so good or bad as people see it and accept the change. No matter how tall you've grown, you can still be short in someone's memory and that's what they focus on. Change is not arbitrary, perception is. I know it's easy to keep an image of someone in a freeze frame, and not let that change as the person changes over time. It gets people into trouble with each other, it makes relationships last longer than they should, and it is hard to avoid.
What is hard to take into account is what the person who has changed is thinking and feeling. We all analyze things in our own way and come to conclusions about things. It is hard to avoid this, but what is important is to not take things as permanent. Thoughts of people should allow for the changes we all go though. A concrete mindset will lead to trouble when people do not fit the mold you cast any longer. When we think of how people act, we recognize traits and they stick, they become that person. It is the reason we can say "Oh he's just being himself" and have it be understandable. When the person acts outside of the idea people have set for them, they are strictly not being themselves. Why is that? I believe that what people do defines them more than anything else. I've seen people change and it might be because I have such a hard time of remembering things from the past that the image of them I have is very recent and it changes as they change. I also don't see it as changes, there isn't a version 1 Martin that changes into version 2 Martin in a day. On that wonderful computer analogy, people's personalities are not always very backwards compatible. It's true that some traits do stick with people over time, but not every part of a person does and it is important to understand that. A current person doesn't think about what they do as to fit a previous state of themselves. That takes a lot of energy and a lot of "faking it." It ends horribly.
This may be out of the blue, but I feel it is important to say at this time. If you want to talk about anything I've said, then talk to me.
Hm. Interesting thoughts here.
ReplyDeleteI remember on at least one occasion feeling *embarrased* for acting "out of character". I usually try to keep a very tight grasp on the outward actions of my body - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so I can usually feel when I do something different. People act surprised in a negative way when others change sometimes, and ... it's difficult to deal with.
In contrast to you, I am usually aware of when I'm changing, or have changed. I still have those big "woah, I changed" moments, but I feel like I notice a lot of the inbetween more. And it's true, as you said, we are in between, at the cusp of change.
One of my fears is falling over the edge of that cusp, and never coming back again.
As far as good or bad changes go, I agree, you can't really determine that. You can judge actions though, that those changes bring. If the actions are harmful or helpful, or smart or stupid or whatever, they can be judged just the same as with other actions. Just as with any action, it's ultimately up to the person performing those actions to decide whether they are "good" or "bad".
I dunno. Just thinking aloud.
I enjoyed reading that--I've had a lot of those thoughts before. I think that having those moments is a sign that we're making progress. People should not stay their high school selves forever--the world would be scary.
ReplyDeleteBut believe me, those "Whoa" moments are really easy to spot when you only come back for a few days at a time.
to be perfectly honest, i didn't know you well enough before you went off to morris to see how you've changed. but i feel like (ideally speaking, since i struggle with adapting to change...) having different preceptions of yourself and others perceptions of you make for a more dynamic relationship?
ReplyDeletebut on a side note, i'm glad that you're happier with yourself now after "changing", it'd be sad otherwise.