Are you who you think you are? Or

I have a pretty good idea who I am and I don't have any delusions. I know what I'm capable of and I know my limitations.

As far as what other people think of me, that varies. Ah, too much thinking about this stuff! I'm going off to my shop where I can be me. 🤣
 

I have always been fairly open so I am not a mystery to people that know me. I have always enjoyed helping others and probably why I ended up with a career in human services. Some people in my family thought that was a weakness and people would take advantage of me. I would rather be taken for a fool occasionally then to be emotionally closed down. Teaching was a part time retirement gig that I did for 8 years after retiring and I loved it. The most important things in my life are my family, friends and dogs.
 

Oh and i just realized i never answered the question in the OP or addressed the issue of how i feel about what others think of me as many did.

Yes i feel i am who i think i am: A spiritual being having another human experience. An abundance of empathy in my early years caused me repress my wants in my early years and it wasn't till i was in my early 30s, a single Mom of preschool twin boys who had already had a lot trauma in their lives, that i realized i had to take care of myself better to take proper care of my kids and.others i loved.

It took a while to get to where i felt both 'authentic' and balanced/centered. Bu observant people could tell that while i did (and still do) my best to be tactful & kind, my emotions show on my face.

They could also tell you that one should never mistake my natural preference is to act from a place of love, compassion for weakness: When it comes to well-being of myself, my loved ones or anyone who is 'vulnerable' being ar risk i can be a fierce and formidable opponent.

Which sort of leads me to how i feel i about what others think of me:
As long as they don't try to interfere with how i live my life, it is none of my businesses--whether it is a favorable or unfavorable perception/opinion. I'm too aware of the many ways people can misperceive reality to be much concerned about it.

There are a few people in both 3D world and cyberspace who's intellect and emotional stability i have enough respect for to care what they think about me, and that i trust enough to tell me truth when they disagree with my choices or feel i've crossed some line behaviorally.

And we all need someone who cares enough about us to risk a heated exchange if they have concerns about our physical or mental/emotional health.
 
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Some have said
What others think of you isn't important
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Don't worry about what others think of you
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OK, sounds pretty independent, self assured. <puffs out chest> Thing is, we are very social creatures, we are inter-dependent on each other on countless levels, so even though ideally one shouldn't be ruled by what others think, nevertheless our well-being is rooted in social contact, along with the requisite approval of our fellow humans.
No Man Is an Island
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a

piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod

be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well

as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy

friend's or of thine own were; any man's death

diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and

therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee." ~John Donne
 
Alligatorob said:
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.”
Stephen Covey

Not an easily answered question, not something I think about a lot...

I'd be interested to know what others here think of me and who I am. Or do y'all think of me at all? Don't hold back, one thing I do have is a thick skin, my perception anyway... I asked for it.
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Based on the "Coffee" chat a few months ago with a few others from SF, I found you a very likable person. :)
 
Alligatorob said:
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.”
Stephen Covey

Not an easily answered question, not something I think about a lot...

I'd be interested to know what others here think of me and who I am. Or do y'all think of me at all? Don't hold back, one thing I do have is a thick skin, my perception anyway... I asked for it.
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I think of you as astonishing, intelligent, highly evolved, bold and unafraid, confident and kind, (from your words alone).
Don't understand a fascination with alligators, but, you do and that's what matters.
 
I'd better be who I think I am, or Houston, we've got a problem!

I don't give much thought to what others think, ever since my kids told me I was impatient (we were talking about patience), and here I always thought I was the very soul of patience. Little did they know how impatient I could be if I voiced the thoughts in my head.
 
This question is actually quite perceptive. Interesting!
I've really not considered what other's think of me.

But, No that I think about it,
other's perception of me sort of formed my life. In school, I was told I would marry one year out of high school.
Nothing was expected of me. I was constantly trying to do art but was constantly told I had no talent. "Give it up."
My brother was sent to engineering college and parents bought him a 58 Ford Fairlane.
I saved up $100 to buy a 40 Ford coupe and went to a minimum wage job.
Their "perception" of me as being "not much" turned out to be true.
I just dumbed along.

All my spiritual experiences with angels was "Sh-h-h! Don't ever speak of that!"
If I speak of it now, I am "trying to be superior or holier than thou."
I'm not.
I just want to get the words of angels out to the people.
I actually receive sacred messages from Holy angels and have most of my life.
People don't believe that or even believe in Angels.
So, Why would I give worth to people's opinions above what I've experienced?
I don't!

I dress the way I want, behave the way I like, say what I wish to say and write what I want to write.
I'm perceived as aloof, stubborn and probably strange. I accept that evaluation.
But, I like me, even my faults!
 
@Gaer
"But, No that I think about it,
other's perception of me sort of formed my life. In school, I was told I would marry one year out of high school.
Nothing was expected of me. I was constantly trying to do art but was constantly told I had no talent. "Give it up."
My brother was sent to engineering college and parents bought him a 58 Ford Fairlane."

Were you and your brother treated differently because you were only a girl, whose expected career was to find a husband "to take care of you?"

I was a brilliant kid, and all that was ever expected of me was to get married. If I HAD to have a job outside the home I was told a teacher was "the best job for a woman" which is precisely why I rejected it.

If only...........oh well, too late.
 
Pepper said:
@Gaer
"But, No that I think about it,
other's perception of me sort of formed my life. In school, I was told I would marry one year out of high school.
Nothing was expected of me. I was constantly trying to do art but was constantly told I had no talent. "Give it up."
My brother was sent to engineering college and parents bought him a 58 Ford Fairlane."

Were you and your brother treated differently because you were only a girl, whose expected career was to find a husband "to take care of you?"

I was a brilliant kid, and all that was ever expected of me was to get married. If I HAD to have a job outside the home I was told a teacher was "the best job for a woman" which is precisely why I rejected it.

If only...........oh well, too late.
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I think that was it, Pepper, I think it was because I was a girl. I was expected to marry to find someone to "take care of me".
I don't know. My parents didn't talk to me much. (Norse) I think we were supposed to guess what each other was thinking.
This was "in the dark ages". I remember asking the school Principal about careers for women (in my senior year) and was told
the only thing was a beauty school about 300 miles away. "Oh, You'll probably get married. You won't have to worry about that!"

Oh well! as you say, too late now! haha!
 
Gaer said:
This question is actually quite perceptive. Interesting!
I've really not considered what other's think of me.

But, No that I think about it,
other's perception of me sort of formed my life. In school, I was told I would marry one year out of high school.
Nothing was expected of me. I was constantly trying to do art but was constantly told I had no talent. "Give it up."
My brother was sent to engineering college and parents bought him a 58 Ford Fairlane.
I saved up $100 to buy a 40 Ford coupe and went to a minimum wage job.
Their "perception" of me as being "not much" turned out to be true.
I just dumbed along.

All my spiritual experiences with angels was "Sh-h-h! Don't ever speak of that!"
If I speak of it now, I am "trying to be superior or holier than thou."
I'm not.
I just want to get the words of angels out to the people.
I actually receive sacred messages from Holy angels and have most of my life.
People don't believe that or even believe in Angels.
So, Why would I give worth to people's opinions above what I've experienced?
I don't!

I dress the way I want, behave the way I like, say what I wish to say and write what I want to write.
I'm perceived as aloof, stubborn and probably strange. I accept that evaluation.
But, I like me, even my faults!
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I like you very much, @Gaer, based on your books, your art, your writing, your photos, and your spirituality! You are a top quality person of whom I am proud to know over the internet. :)
 
Nathan said:
Some have said



OK, sounds pretty independent, self assured. <puffs out chest> Thing is, we are very social creatures, we are inter-dependent on each other on countless levels, so even though ideally one shouldn't be ruled by what others think, nevertheless our well-being is rooted in social contact, along with the requisite approval of our fellow humans.
No Man Is an Island
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a

piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod

be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well

as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy

friend's or of thine own were; any man's death

diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and

therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee." ~John Donne
Click to expand...
The poem you quoted reminded me of a poem I wrote a few years back:

Extremes

No man is an island
or an oasis.
Although at times he feels
alone,
maybe through lack of understanding
or by choice,
or by unexpected circumstances,
there are always others to
prompt and nudge him along,
to remind him that life is more than
just his little world.

No man is an ocean,
all encompassing, forever moving,
never at rest,
even though appearing calm on the surface,
underwater currents flow
from seething schools of fish.

Although at times he feels
overwhelmed
by constant juggling of events
or by waves of circumstances that
flow into one stress or another;
there are always others to
slow him down, to bring him peace,
to remind him that life can be lived,
one moment at a time.

To find balance requires a pacing of the self,
particularly when we witness
a time to grow and a time to rest,
a time to laugh and a time to mourn,
a time to cry and a time to heal,
a time to create and a time to appreciate,
a time to live and a time to die.

Life is a mixture of extremes that
can be chaotic if man dares not make choices
to find the inner balance of his soul –
where there is no time –
and learns to be one with his Creator.
- Patty :)
Here is the link to the poem: https://hcc-hedgeapple.hagerstowncc.edu/index.php/2013/11/16/extremes-by-patty-apostolides/
 
Paco Dennis said:
Who you think you are is not who you are. Thinking about something is not the same as the thing itself. It is thought, not the actual substance/quality. ? :)
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This really resonates with my perspective on the subject. We think all kinds of things. Sometimes, like a broken clock, we may actually get it right, But this also applies to how we come to believe what we think of ourselves. Just because we think a thing, doesn't make it true.
 
From a physical science point of view of known science, the nature of our animal creature mind's within are neural system brains, is still one of our greatest mysteries. Also known as the Hard Problem of Consciousness and Perception. This is something I personally just might make an impact on that field as I point towards complex oscillating standing and traveling brain wave electromagnetic fields. As such, we are not the flesh and blood physical body systems (we think we are) but rather the mind EMF fields that exists within those containers. Each of us has an executive pilot that evolved from an ancient binocular visual and chemical sensing brain that controlled motor functions.

This is also why I lean towards the belief eternal life is possible as that would require a non-organic container with equivalent impedances. Something I expect a race of ancient Ultimate Intelligent Entities may have been able to create as it would arguably be the most important accomplishment they could develop in a universe with otherwise mortal organic life. To do so they would at some point need to XYZ scan our brains to create such a container. Consider every moment trillions of solar neutrinos pass through our bodies and go all the way through our planet without interacting (hitting) anything because they are so small.

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Field_theories_of_consciousness

The leading mind theory for decades has been the Global workspace theory (GWT) that does not consider brain waves significant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_workspace_theory
 
JustDave said:
This really resonates with my perspective on the subject. We think all kinds of things. Sometimes, like a broken clock, we may actually get it right, But this also applies to how we come to believe what we think of ourselves. Just because we think a thing, doesn't make it true.
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Yes, Thought is powerful but the mind is in the relative field. (as per Einstein) This is fluid, ever changing. often erroneous. These thoughts must be based in the never changing, absolute phase of reality. I could say I am a queen. I could delude myself with that and pretend I am a queen, but I am not in actuality as this is manifested from the relative state.
Being lies beyond all relative existence.
Oh, I'm boring you guys again!
 
That's deep Nathan...that there could be so many different perceptions of one person. I've been very surprised to find out what others have thought of me over the years.
 
Y'all are too kind, and probably not too honest, LOL.

@hollydolly thanks you for your words, and you are right of course it is hard to really know someone from the little window we see here. Have you ever met someone in person after meeting on a forum like this? If so I'd be interested to know how it went, were they anything like what you expected? I have not, but you have been at this longer than I, and you live in a place where its more likely you are closer to folks.

@palides2021 I appreciate your kind words as well, and I certainly liked you when we met in the coffee klach thing. Thanks to @Medusa for that!

@Gaer I am not sure what to say, you are a very nice lady! And one I would want to introduce me if I ever speak publicly again, LOL
Gaer said:
Don't understand a fascination with alligators, but, you do and that's what matters.
Click to expand...
Kind of a long story. I grew up in Florida at a time when alligators were considered endangered, most of my friends had never seen one. So I sought them out and figured out how to find them. Canoeing in swamps on a moonless night with a bright light was the best way. Alligator eyes reflect bright red. The ultimate challenge became very quietly stalking one and getting close enough to "punch" it between the eyes... startled a few gators. I showed a lot of other kids their first wild gators.

Turns out they were not really so endangered, and with hunting outlawed the population quickly rebounded. Today everybody who spends much time along the Gulf Coast sees gators.

After that I was always interested in them looking for them where ever I could. When hunting was relegalized I did that for a few years, got about a dozen. Still have a few hides, rolled up in the closet. Always believed I should eat anything I killed, and I did eat the gators, but they are not great. After a while I tired of that and stopped hunting to kill. I still like going into the swamp at night looking for them, you can see and hear some amazing things.

And then, purely by coincidence, I lived on Alligator Drive, Alligator Point, Florida for a long time. Pretty sure I have more alligator parts than anyone in my neighborhood now.
 
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Rob..I've met many people from Forums.. yes indeed, not only here in England but overseas as well.... and I have to say that most people are not like they seem on the forums .

It's a weird thing.. that those who seem the nicest on the forums are often not in real life, and vice versa, those who might seem brusque online are very kind in real life.... and also those who are very chatty online are very often the ones that are the Quietest at a group meet.. ..

Not exclusive of course, but this has been my discovery.. ...oooh and it never fails to surprise me at how the older ladies seem to want to be very flirty with waiters et al...:LOL:
 

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