The way we’re seen by others

Likely it will come as no shock to you to acknowledge that the picture we paint of ourselves (both for ourselves and for others or independently) is seldom if ever the way others see us in return. This seemingly curious phenomenon is upon the briefest analysis entirely explicable. Each of us has a battery of empirical and psychological ingredients which unwittingly colour whatever we do or say or think. And be assured that the flavour arising from our personal experiences is bound to be singular just as are the circumstances from which they emanate. When it comes to assessing others be warned too that there is no certainty connected to any common indicia.

Having said that I’d like to take you on a tour of certain of the subscribers to this blog. No names or other indubitable criteria will be used which might inadvertently denote the person of whom I write. The subscribers are from around the world, covering three continents. Some are men, some as women; some are young and some are old. All are people whom I value as friends, equally those long-standing and those more recent.

My objective is to illustrate the overall incompatibility of one’s self-perception and other’s detection. It is a purely narrative undertaking. There is no attempt at consequence other than to prove not everyone sees us the same way we see ourselves (excluding mothers of course). Recall however that my interpretation of who you are is coloured by my own past which with very few exceptions was predominantly apart from your own (not that that matters in any event to the more critical element of individual digestion). So see if you can identify yourself; and how mistaken I am (or how contrary my observations are to your intended manifestation).  Here goes!

  1.  Yours is an unrequited love, both terrestrial and celestial. As well as your own for yourself.  Your beauty and intelligence far surpass your acknowledgement though both are remarkably clear to others. You are generous. The shackles about you are more social than your own doing. Which is relieving but does little to remove the burdens from you as they have hardened with time.
  2. You have had more than your share of problems; and you continue to do so. Your manifest perspicuity while improving to others does not afford you satisfaction or relief from the hardship you’ve endured. You have confronted unimaginable obstacles with great success.
  3. You are a man of the world. You withdrew from your native country and have in turn made the world your home. Your innate sense of delicacy and distillation make you an enviable talent on many levels. As robust and phlegmatic as you appear, there’s a lot of soft tissue.
  4. You are man of many parts though modesty hinders the recognition. Your appetite for knowledge has always put you in good stead. Your devotion to those whom you love is incalculable.
  5. Your wit is your best kept secret. This combined with a razor sharp mind has enabled you to sit back and laugh. Your unparalleled adjustment to constantly revolving worlds has afforded you the luxury of survival with gusto.
  6. Nobody knows the meaning of work like you. The challenge to overcome the hurdle of achievement has constrained you for a long time though there is little obstacle whatever that remains. You are in that rarefied atmosphere of uncommon triumph. Life from that atmospheric level is ineffable.
  7. The turning of the clock is for you a palpable menace. You have so much on your agenda to accomplish and the wherewithal to do it. Discovering the medicine to control the lapse of time is forever beyond your grasp. With each step forward you instil two steps backwards as though confusing the mechanics of time and inhibiting you from reaching your goal.
  8. You learned at any early age what it takes to live a life of exactitude. You have successfully avoided dissolution at the behest of the impatience and vulgarity of others, warranting the description of good manners which are what are needed when the going gets tough not when the waters are smooth.
  9. You are misunderstood. You have an instinct for quality and are little persuaded by those who may seek to infiltrate your domaine. Your virtues are your undying humour and foresight.
  10. Your past is cosmopolitan but you have embraced the rural expression. Your persistent interest in others fuels your enthusiasm and popularity to others.

There!  That’s enough of my amateur astrological and horological appraisals. The real and simple truth is that nobody ever really knows another.  We may pretend to do so but it is pure fiction. Indeed it may put us in better stead to admit we haven’t the faintest idea who another is. That may at least preserve us from acting upon false assumptions to our ultimate discredit!