Todash
January 3rd, 2013, 08:26 PM
Most of us are probably familiar with the parable of the blind men and the elephant (if not, here's the first bit of the poem:
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he,
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!). I have had occasion to reflect recently that on the internet, I am an elephant. On the SKMB, I am one version of me. On Facebook, I'm another. On my blogs, another still (and it depends which blog you look at). And yet, everywhere I leave a piece of me, that piece is a real and true expression of who I am. I'm not that internet creeper your parents warned you about; heck, I don't even own a white van.
The two places I spend the most time online, with the exception of work and not counting the time I spend reading about oddities on Wikipedia, are the SKMB and Facebook. On here, mostly I'm straightforward and serious with an occasional bit of goofiness, and I use a LOT of bullet points. (I ♥ bullet points. I bet you all knew that already, huh?) But on Facebook, I give voice to every weird thought most of the weird, random, stream-of-consciousness thoughts that go through my head--and not too much of the serious stuff. And yet, in both places, I'm being completely genuine. Well, genuine. Perhaps not complete. And it's not like it's a calculated thing, either. It's just a natural division.
So I guess what I am wondering is this: are you more like me (and the elephant)? Or are you the same everywhere? I think most people with an extensive online existence have those little compartments, but maybe not. I'm wondering where the dividing line is, too; when does normal human interaction become dishonesty?
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he,
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!). I have had occasion to reflect recently that on the internet, I am an elephant. On the SKMB, I am one version of me. On Facebook, I'm another. On my blogs, another still (and it depends which blog you look at). And yet, everywhere I leave a piece of me, that piece is a real and true expression of who I am. I'm not that internet creeper your parents warned you about; heck, I don't even own a white van.
The two places I spend the most time online, with the exception of work and not counting the time I spend reading about oddities on Wikipedia, are the SKMB and Facebook. On here, mostly I'm straightforward and serious with an occasional bit of goofiness, and I use a LOT of bullet points. (I ♥ bullet points. I bet you all knew that already, huh?) But on Facebook, I give voice to every weird thought most of the weird, random, stream-of-consciousness thoughts that go through my head--and not too much of the serious stuff. And yet, in both places, I'm being completely genuine. Well, genuine. Perhaps not complete. And it's not like it's a calculated thing, either. It's just a natural division.
So I guess what I am wondering is this: are you more like me (and the elephant)? Or are you the same everywhere? I think most people with an extensive online existence have those little compartments, but maybe not. I'm wondering where the dividing line is, too; when does normal human interaction become dishonesty?