I think pink
And you think green
I wonder
Did God make us different colors?
Living color?
She turns red
And he is blue
A living rainbow
Made of souls of every hue
Living color?
...
Thinking about light, thinking about color... and how human nature correlates.
Light comes into our eyes in waves--longer waves produce certain colors while shorter waves result in others. Slight differences in frequency--how many times a wave oscillates per second--and wavelength--the length of one oscillation--drastically change the color of the light we see.
Pick a color--any color. I pick green. How many separate shades of green exist? How many types? They all differ, to some degree. But still something about them is the same.
I find certain similarities in humanity. Though all people think in generally the same manner, each individual thinks within his or her own "language"--the unique thought pattern deeply ingrained into each person's nature. "Languages" differ slightly according to different personalities.
I wonder: if we were able to see ourselves in a fresh manner--to see the entity of our being in a new dimension--might we each be distinctly different colors?
I think of louder personalities as orangey-reds, bubbly social butterflies as perky yellows, and quieter spirits as deep, dark blue. No two match exactly, but they may share similarities.
My dad gave me a strange look the other day as I was telling him a funny quip from a friend; apparently I was unconsciously copying this person's facial expressions, tones, and mannerisms quite accurately.
But that's how I relate; how we all must relate. I translate my thoughts to others' "languages"--even in email sometimes. For instance: tend to leave out the subjects of my sentences when talking with Claviger. And, like when I'm talking to like one of my rather like trendy friends, like I add all these like "likes" like into my sentences!!! (Not to mention the triple exclamation points...) Sometimes... I talk... slightly, um. Slower. AndothertimesItalktwentymillionwordsaminute.
It's as if I change the frequency, length, or pattern of my thoughts to match others' thoughts.
Sometimes people tell me just to be myself--to speak my own language. But I beg to differ. How in the world am I supposed to relate to anyone else if I don't speak their language? Not to demean the significance of knowing one's self--but what is the purpose of speech if it does not communicate something? And translating my rather scatterbrained thoughts into the method of someone else's thinking patterns usually benefits my own understanding of what I think.
Somewhat like tuning to the right radio frequency to get rid of the static.
So I wonder; am I losing sight of my own "language"? Am I supposed to, as I seek to understand God's thoughts? Does contact with others shape my "language"? Should or can I let it? What do you think?
2 comments:
I like that analogy of color and personality. The second half of the post really does hit on one of the hardest questions of relationships: How do we balance relating with others with being ourselves? But really, I hardly ever have a problem with that in the real world, but the abstract thought of it is difficult. It's like trying to define something like the "soul" I couldn't tell you what a soul is, but I seem to intuitively understand it, you know?
Yeah, I understand. We instinctively understand something, but cannot put it in words. LOL i replaced "soul" with another phrase at least once in my post, merely because I did not want to try to define it.
That's true. For instance, we can relate to others with opposing views without losing our own opinions. It's interesting--makes me wonder, do i actually know myself? who am I really? What's inside me that's actually me, uninfluenced by someone else? And does it matter?
For now, I think that there is a part of me that does not change--the part that chooses how to respond to the influences of other "languages". The part that contains my "language". So even when I am relating with others, there is a part of me that remains true to what I think--even when I'm trying to understand an opposing view. So maybe i'm not really translating entirely to others' languages--maybe just to their language in the context of my own. Or vice versa.
My head hurts :-D
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