I have always found it difficult to describe myself, but often felt the need to do so. I suppose this level of narcissism is ubiquitous. How else would we explain the popularity of Linda Goodman or Myer’s personality tests? But each of us is unique, even twins are so different from each other. How can all the people of this planet be classified into 12 or 16 types? Moreover, we are not a “fixed” type, everyday we evolve, our experiences and thoughts change every moment making us a different person every moment. After all that is who we are, an amalgamation of experiences, thoughts, ideas, feelings, actions, reactions- of course each of these interacting with others in uncountable permutations and combinations. But I think with time we allow ourselves to be only few of these limitless possibilities, we adapt to specified roles given to us by our parents, teachers, workplace and society. With time we start defining ourselves by those roles, and ignore all the other possibilities which we are.
When we truly connect with “others”, we seek parts of us in them. They become our mirrors, reflecting our unexplored selves to us. When we love others, we are loving parts of us in them. When we hate them, we hate parts of us in them. When we accept them as they are, we are accepting parts of us, reaching unexplored parts of us, knowing ourselves a little better and making ourselves a little more “whole”. The more accepting we become of others, the more pieces we find of the puzzle that is us.