/ This was posted above under “Quick Note” but to simplify that section, I’m putting it here.
/ I am of the belief people are multi-variate enough that you can’t judge someone in one instance.
This is obvious, sure, but I think people should be encouraged to balance 1) having some consistency in their life with 2) approach different paths without regard for consistency.
An example of this can be an introspective exercise:
How similar/different do you act around different groups of people?
i.e., around your parents, coworkers, siblings, friends, neighbors, partner to different degrees, strangers, waiters, cab drivers, the person who cuts/styles your hair
Person A may have more continuity in their connections/relationships/friendships vs. Person B may “code-switch” rather frequently.
Person C may vary the level of their “authenticity” vs. Person D may aim to be authentic as much as possible.
Personally, I try to stay authentic throughout all of my interactions, but there is no right or wrong way, and all people have unique situations to manage. It is probably more of a subconscious act than anything.
The reason I bring this up is, I choose to write very casually and conversationally on my blog, but for different purposes I write much more formally.
This may be a silly thing to mention, that in my view, as long as writing is being intentional in what style it takes and is a bit different, it can often be BUT need not to be a complete representation of who I am.
I do not know if this is consensus or contrarian. If someone reads 10 blog posts of my writing, and assumes that this is the only way I can write, is that intentional/accurate?
This is also such a niche example.
Another example: people like to say that they can tell a lot about people from different things (I’ve talked about this before).
What shoes they wear, how they walk, how do they deal with stress/difficulty, how they drive (for me), and of course, how they treat waiters/strangers.
There is some consistency in character/personality/mannerisms because they are very hard to “code-switch” or modulate consciously in the moment, and so these can be more reliable signals about people.
Quite a few thought puzzles and perhaps trivial points on this matter but worth exploring.
tl;dr It’s a short one to read but if I had to say, on a scale of 1-10, how multivariate do you think people can be? Can people change consciously? Do people evolve significantly over time?
Cheers,
Vishal
Published on August 19, 2023.