Being anyone

[ZZZZ]

Just a random thought dump:

 

If one were to break down every concept they had about their "self," couldn't they choose to become anyone they wanted to? Wouldnt it be possible to maintain any number of selves to be turned on and off at will, and built up with real-world "confirmations" the same as someone with a single self? I guess you would probably end up as the person who pretends to be a bunch of different people. The same way we create false selves, when we pretend to be someone we are not. Even though the thing we know we are not being is also what we are not. Surely it must be possible to identify with more than one, or a new self. I think this is probably what a lot of transsexuals go through. While their outward appearance shows one thing that society has learned to respond to in a certain way, they have identified with a self that is not consistent with that body, and often want to work backwards to alter their appearance and lifestyle to match that concept.

 

Starting from scratch could allow an actor to literally become their character. I was thinking I might dress up and play pretend one day for fun, but I guess I already do that now.

You could pick any personality, set of beliefs, values, etc. just as easily as the average person chooses theirs. Suddenly multiple personality disorder makes a lot more sense too. I wonder what changes in the brain or development lead to that. 

 

As long as you're being someone, be anyone you want to be. Otherwise, embrace the fact that you are no One.

Edited December 16, 2018 by ZZZZ

[Cortex]

Yep, I feel that way all the time

[Hellspeed]

Why not be yourself giving your Heart?  Real play starts.

[Echoes]

nice one.

You might like the book "Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility"

A few quotes from the book:

“The issue here is not whether self-veiling can be avoided, or even should be avoided. Indeed, no finite play is possible without it. The issue is whether we are ever willing to drop the veil and openly acknowledge, if only to ourselves, that we have freely chosen to face the world through a mask.” 

“Some self-veiling is present in all finite games. Players must intentionally forget the inherently voluntary nature of their play, else all competitive effort will desert them.”

“[...]Therefore, poets do not 'fit' into society, not because a place is denied them but because they do not take their 'places' seriously. They openly see its roles as theatrical, its styles as poses, its clothing costumes, its rules conventional, its crises arranged, its conflicts performed and its metaphysics ideological.” 

“A culture can be no stronger than its strongest myths.” 
 

[ZZZZ]

10 hours ago, Hellspeed said:

Why not be yourself giving your Heart?  Real play starts.

What do you mean by giving your heart?

@Echoes very cool, I might check it out sometime  sounds like a fun game.

 

I extrapolated this out to unique traits in subsets of society as well. For example, a higher proportion of feminine men in the gay community (also perpetuated by straight men who feel they need to let go of femininity and become more masculine).

There is a lot that can be explained with this concept. The biological and environmental mechanisms still remain a mystery, but I think people would be a lot more empathetic if they truly understood this.