I think for this entry I just wanted to post pictures, but I've been thinking about something lately. Maybe it's because of all the books I've been reading, but remember back to high school days when you had characters described as either flat, foil, round, dynamic or static? I only mention it because in truth everyone is a dynamic character, people have feelings and emotions and their actions are never fully predictable. And yet not everyone is a round, dynamic character to us. Think of the person you meet just once or those people you interact with in the same setting every time. They may be the most interesting person in the world, but you would never get to know that. I think about the CNG driver who drove me here to the coffee shop, the only interaction we'll prolly ever have is the one in the morning. He wanted 150 taka from me and I bargained him down to 120 taka. Then after he drove me here, I paid him and said thank you. That's it. He may or may not have a family, he prolly has a lot of interesting stories, but I'd never get to learn or know about any of them. But, I don't think that's the bigger point- I sometimes wonder why I don't want to get to know the stories of other people. In the CNG I was just annoyed of the traffic and just wanted to use the internet here as quickly as possible. This may be a bad example, but there are people I've known for a while who are just flat to me. I only see them as a one-sided person- friends boy/girlfriend, classmate, co-worker, whatever. I think it's just awkward for me to think of myself as a flat character in the eyes of others- because I'd like to believe I am a round, dynamic person. I think I'm afraid of just becoming a flat person in your eyes and in your life. That's all.
But, on a totally different side note... MORE PICTURES!!!!!!!
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Playing Carrom in the village
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TEA (I've become a huge fan of the tea in the villages)!!!!
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Women in the center is the leader of the Centre (catch that?)
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| A Handloom Factory |
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| new best friend |
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| told you we were best friends |
Dude. I just wrote a really long response to your post, and then it somehow all got deleted. I'm going to cry...
ReplyDeleteOKAY. SO IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. EVERYTHING GOT DELETED AGAIN. But I refuse to give up. Here’s my little spiel…
ReplyDelete“everyone is a dynamic character, people have feelings and emotions and their actions are never fully predictable. And yet not everyone is a round, dynamic character to us.”
I like your thoughts on this. I find that this kind of reductionism happens a lot in the workplace - people become their job descriptions, and are treated accordingly (regardless of their histories , personalities, and interests). This was something I struggled with a lot when I first started working, and, on some level, it still upsets me when my coworkers – the people with whom I spend most of my waking hours - are surprised by some mundane detail of my life (“you have three brothers?!” etc.). But I know that I am also guilty of this; it’s basically a shortcut to get through everyday life with relative efficiency. By the time you’ve gotten to know someone well enough to see them as “round” and “dynamic”, you have established a relationship, and relationships add complexity to life – they require time, emotional investment, making yourself vulnerable to the other party. Sometimes it’s worth it, and sometimes it’s not…