When I talk about yourself or myself, what exactly is that
self I am alluding to? Let me make it clear that I do not wish to wander into the spiritual realm where they refer to the self with so much reverence that they capitalize the ‘s’.
Many think that the closest representation of the self is the face that you look at in the mirror when it comes to you, and it is the face of others that you see when you refer to them. When it comes to others, I might agree to a certain extent but when it comes to myself I disagree for two reasons:
- You are definitely more dimensional than the face you happen to put on.
- It has been a while since I have been able to see the details of my face and honestly, I cannot conjure an image of my current self when I think of or refer to myself. Does that mean I lack a self?
Funnily enough, when I have to think of myself really hard as some old photograph from memory, it is my kindergarten class photo which I do not even possess., but has solidly lodged itself in a deep crevice of my brain(right-side, of course). I look chubbily cute, with slick well-oiled hair, parted on the right and deep, piercing,
kohl lined eyes. I am sure, I am nowhere near that image, but wish i still carried that innocence and curiosity.
Another perspective: Communication is a process through which we constantly negotiate the 'self' and reorient the 'self'. Narratives help make sense of experiences. Based on the recipients opinions, exclamations, or questions we change our personal perceptions on things and something that initially was percieved to be a problem may now appear to be mundane and trivial. This why we say it is a process of reorienting the 'self'. And using this blog as a medium, you are not only exploring yourself, but you are reorienting the 'self'.
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