People. They never cease to amaze me. I have been an observer. I take my time to adapt to my surrounding. I need to stand in a corner and take in a crowd and feel comfortable to mix up with the people. I never found it easy to open conversation with random people. It is usually the people who come up to me. I m an introvert until you start talking to me. Once you break the ice, you will forget associating that word with me.
Although I m good at deciphering body language of people or understanding what they want to convey, I seldom made friends after observing them. Coming to think of it, my friends are hardly those people that I liked at first sight.
For example- my sweetest friend who I actually thought looked very rude at the first day of college.
Another of my friend, with whom I can talk without an end, was perceived by me as being fake and someone who considered herself very superior.
Thinking on this pattern, I realised something. People are never truly themselves, unless they are hiding behind a mask.
This explains a lot of things. We all show more of ourselves when we are someone else. Take us, bloggers, for example. Do we not write the embarrassingly plain truths of our life while we write fiction? Don't the best actors hide behind the shield of their characters? Don't the most explicit chats happen under an assumed name?
I had read in some textbook about mob mentality. It seemed to make me ponder. It was about a man asking his friend about how he found a hawker, selling batteries, sitting outside his house. The friend had found the hawker to be a very good man and very friendly as he had agreed to give his batteries at a low price as he had no change. The man then told his friend that the hawker was the same man who was running with a mob of people with flames in their hand during riots. They had killed a child of another religion. This story emphasized the effect that other people have on our individual personalities.
We might say that we are unaffected by other people in our life but the truth is that we are all interconnected. People have more influence in our lives than we give them credit for.
Sometimes having people is comforting. Have you ever been thrown out of the class and felt ashamed and humiliated and then cheered up on finding other people having met the same fate? Isn't it strange how we want to stand out and be special on our way up but want company during our downfall? Ever wished that everyone in your class come first? I m sure no one has!
I m usually tolerant towards a lot of people. The kind of people I keep away from are the ones who lie when they could have told the truth. I also don't gel well with people who comment on other people's weaknesses in a mocking way. Included in the list are people who turn to you only when they want some favor and are boastful the other times.
However annoying the people are, there is something reassuring about the presence of another human being with you. No matter how dumb he/she is, human contact is what we all need!
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 8th - 14th December 2013. Today's prompt is people.
Although I m good at deciphering body language of people or understanding what they want to convey, I seldom made friends after observing them. Coming to think of it, my friends are hardly those people that I liked at first sight.
For example- my sweetest friend who I actually thought looked very rude at the first day of college.
Another of my friend, with whom I can talk without an end, was perceived by me as being fake and someone who considered herself very superior.
Thinking on this pattern, I realised something. People are never truly themselves, unless they are hiding behind a mask.
This explains a lot of things. We all show more of ourselves when we are someone else. Take us, bloggers, for example. Do we not write the embarrassingly plain truths of our life while we write fiction? Don't the best actors hide behind the shield of their characters? Don't the most explicit chats happen under an assumed name?
I had read in some textbook about mob mentality. It seemed to make me ponder. It was about a man asking his friend about how he found a hawker, selling batteries, sitting outside his house. The friend had found the hawker to be a very good man and very friendly as he had agreed to give his batteries at a low price as he had no change. The man then told his friend that the hawker was the same man who was running with a mob of people with flames in their hand during riots. They had killed a child of another religion. This story emphasized the effect that other people have on our individual personalities.
We might say that we are unaffected by other people in our life but the truth is that we are all interconnected. People have more influence in our lives than we give them credit for.
Sometimes having people is comforting. Have you ever been thrown out of the class and felt ashamed and humiliated and then cheered up on finding other people having met the same fate? Isn't it strange how we want to stand out and be special on our way up but want company during our downfall? Ever wished that everyone in your class come first? I m sure no one has!
I m usually tolerant towards a lot of people. The kind of people I keep away from are the ones who lie when they could have told the truth. I also don't gel well with people who comment on other people's weaknesses in a mocking way. Included in the list are people who turn to you only when they want some favor and are boastful the other times.
However annoying the people are, there is something reassuring about the presence of another human being with you. No matter how dumb he/she is, human contact is what we all need!
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 8th - 14th December 2013. Today's prompt is people.
11 comments:
Children are very innocent. but as they grow up they have to adapt to the ways of the world. Here the masks rescue them. Behind them they can take refuge , be polite without offending others or paint a picture of deceit. either way masks help them.
i actually make a very bad first impression... well i used to. People found me snotty and snobbish.. truth was i was just too timid to start a conversation so preferred not making eye contact at all...
and yes, many a time when you've been sent out of class or dont have any clue in an exam, its refreshing to see others join you.. thats just who I am :D
"However annoying the people are, there is something reassuring about the presence of another human being with you. No matter how dumb he/she is, human contact is what we all need!" and that is precisely the reason we are called 'social animals' aren't we.....nice post.
Funny so is the case with me. I too pride myself in understanding people and yet most of my friends are people I though ill of! Something about human nature which can never be deciphered in one go I would say...
Richa
It's a very sharp observation about people and the way we react to things. People are complex and difficult to gauge and yeah, I do confess that I misjudged people at times.
Masks help us survive in a world that doesn't let us be ourselves
I appear arrogant to most people :P That is my defence mechanism in a new surrounding.. I take time in trusting and warming up.
Social animals we are but we never seem to acknowledge another human being unless we are left with no choice :)
People can never be deciphered at all. There are layers and layers to unwrap. We become more of what we actually are every day :)
People are complex and yet that is what makes them interesting right?
Anything that is not simple is complex :D and people aren't simple at all :D Don't we fail to understand ourselves, at times ? Well written , insightful post, dear !
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