The Conscious Inquiry

[z3r0d4t4]

Greetings!

I had a thought. You had a thought. Let's share.

The other night, my wife and I were walking through a department store and I couldn't help but notice a particular individual who was standing several aisles away. A thought passed by as I reflected that just before me was a human being. A human being that has a story, a life all of their own, unique interests, perceptions, opinions, etc. Then I mentally noted that this person also has a physical dwelling where she eats, sleeps, sits down and relaxes. Normal day-to-day activities that you have come to expect from someone living a "normal" life. However, there's a catch to all of this. The thought that came afterwards,

"The expression in her eyes seems to be particularly bright. I wonder what her house smells like?"

I had perceived this woman's house to smell like a breeze on a warm sunny day...yes. But why? Is this a method by which I try to gather information about the unfamiliar by automatically forming an opinion without even knowing a person? Have you ever seen somebody you have never met and automatically associate something pleasant or unpleasant with their image?

 

[Yozora]

Kind of. When I'm stuck waiting somewhere with people walking by, sometimes I keep away boredom by making up a story about each person who passes by. Who they are, what are their worries right now, why they are here, etc. Some people come off more favorably than others, and the stories tend to get crazier as time drags on. XD

 

[Snowflake]

Wow. When I was younger I would do that too, and make up stories too. And it was bad for me because I used to have problems with social anxiety and think everyone around me would notice me. And it was scary. I just wanted to blend and be invisible and I'd just do the opposite. Anyway, nowadays I am just so busy and have so much on my mind that I can't think of any of that anymore. And other people are too, most of them apparently. I don't feel bad walking on the streets with other strangers anymore. But it's funny when we leave our own bubble and realize there's a whole new world outside ready to be discovered. And people who live in it with their lives and their own problems.