TheBanyanTree: Your Story

[Jim Miller]

It's evening here friends, and I've been thinking. Actually, it's kinds of
tween evening and night. I worry about thinking too much. At my age,
something will smoke.

For the last 40 years, I have openly stated that I'm a voyeur. I'm
fascinated by people. Out of curiosity, I may sit in a public place and
watch for hours. Some move past in a flash, and I'm reduced to speed
judgments. Others lounge about, back and forth, in and out of range,
allowing time for deeper analysis. I like to create a persona and life for
those that I observe. Because we never interact, I'm left with an
unresolved curiosity. I can live with that, but I'd like to take it
further.

I frequently lament not becoming a psychiatrist. Then I would be sanctioned
to probe unsuspecting minds. We are told that there are four primary
personality types. Myers-Briggs breaks it down into 16. My thought: who
cares except an intellectual trying to prove how smart he is. Reality is
that, unless synapses are misfiring, each of us possesses portions of each
 trait to varying degrees. Honest; I don't care how you tick. I simply want
to know who you are.

This brings me to my point. Each one of us is uniquely individual. Even DNA
identical twins are unique in personality. It is that unique individuality
that creates the attraction to other humans. I would like to know what
makes you unique. Most likely, even you don't know, but I think that if
appropriately stimulated, you  could postulate ideas.

I've know many of you for nearly two decades. It would seem that we have
shared much about ourselves. And yet, even within this intimate forum, we
remain guarded. We never reveal our core. We keep much hidden from nearly
everyone inside and outside the list. I'm no different, yet I find it
extremely curious. True, in this context, we can't ever fully trust, yet
some of the intimacies exposed would suggest that the shield has become on
occasion translucent.

This is what I believe; everyone has a story. Think about it. In the
conglomeration of a live lived, there is a story that is you. There are
bits and pieces shared with others, but it is your story and defines who
your are. The majority of modern civilized humans are so engaged in
survival, that they have never thought about who they are or considered why
they have become who they are. I would like to tell people's story. Perhaps
I will find it within me to share my story, should I ever fully identify it.

People are fascinating. I have a compelling urge to walk up to complete
strangers, introduce myself and ask if we can talk. I believe that I can
gain trust and then find and identify their story. Most are not complex.
Even in simplicity, they are what define the uniqueness of the individual.
If told as a stand alone, they will be substantial and significant.

What do you think?

Jim