I Have Been Changed For Good
In the animal kingdom, chameleons must be the ones who are picked first to be on teams. What's not to love? With their state-of-the-art camouflage capabilities, these reptiles can give Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a run for its money. There is something romantic about being wholly existent and yet, simultaneously (seemingly) nonexistent. This phenomenal ability to mimic is not reserved for chameleons. Surprisingly, we humans are rather chameleon-esque ourselves.
Regardless of the alleged uniqueness of our mannerisms, behaviors, and quirks, it is in our human nature to mimic the accents, speech rhythms, and facial expressions of those around us. I routinely find myself resting my hand on my chin, a subconscious decision made when coincidentally, my company is sitting in a similar position. Perhaps a display of solidarity that dates back to the days before language or perhaps a sign of our overworked mirror neurons, it's chilling nonetheless.
The chameleon effect is so prevalent in my life that I wouldn't be surprised if a camouflaged chameleon is permanently planted on my shoulder. From not okays to no he didn'ts, sometimes I don't realize who is actually speaking because the blank slate has been chalked with the designs of another. Of course, it's all very ephemeral. Like any good chameleon, our mannerisms are constantly changing to match our environment. When a chameleon moves out from behind the bush, it's not still going to look like a leaf cluster. It adapts. As do we, whenever our temporary environments (class discussion versus dinner party) or even the permanent ones (friends circles, physical moves) change.
It all comes down to one thing: the people by whom we choose to surround ourselves have a profound impact on our emotional and moral growth. Your choice of company determines whether you will fly high or crash and burn. Malleable or rigid, we bend and we break. While we each have inherent qualities engraved on our dog tags, they are easily dethroned by social pressures and influences. Sometimes for good, and sometimes for wicked.
Influential people are constantly going to be diffusing in and out of our lives and it is up to us to discern who is of the positive, camouflage-worthy class, and who can be ignored.
It's daunting to think that when some of the most influential people in my life, those who have, in such a short time molded me and given me something to which I can aspire, will no longer infiltrate my everyday being, I could lose their spirit forever. They will go on to be imprinted by new lives, and their imprints on me will atrophy. But then again, we have the power to consciously maintain positive qualities in the ever-expanding puzzle that continues to shape us for the better.
Oscar Wilde, in what I take to be a critique on the human psyche, accused, "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." Bad habits are contagious, but so are good ones. If each of us is comprised of the best qualities in the plethora of individuals who have touched our lives, a quoted passion, or even a plagiarized one, doesn't have to be frowned upon. We can be the change we wish to see in the world, but we should also be that which we wish to perpetuate.
As you stroll the path collecting bread pieces left by those ahead, just remember that in the end, a chameleon is still a chameleon. Sometimes a black cloud, sometimes a pleasant sunrise, always a chameleon.
Regardless of the alleged uniqueness of our mannerisms, behaviors, and quirks, it is in our human nature to mimic the accents, speech rhythms, and facial expressions of those around us. I routinely find myself resting my hand on my chin, a subconscious decision made when coincidentally, my company is sitting in a similar position. Perhaps a display of solidarity that dates back to the days before language or perhaps a sign of our overworked mirror neurons, it's chilling nonetheless.
The chameleon effect is so prevalent in my life that I wouldn't be surprised if a camouflaged chameleon is permanently planted on my shoulder. From not okays to no he didn'ts, sometimes I don't realize who is actually speaking because the blank slate has been chalked with the designs of another. Of course, it's all very ephemeral. Like any good chameleon, our mannerisms are constantly changing to match our environment. When a chameleon moves out from behind the bush, it's not still going to look like a leaf cluster. It adapts. As do we, whenever our temporary environments (class discussion versus dinner party) or even the permanent ones (friends circles, physical moves) change.
It all comes down to one thing: the people by whom we choose to surround ourselves have a profound impact on our emotional and moral growth. Your choice of company determines whether you will fly high or crash and burn. Malleable or rigid, we bend and we break. While we each have inherent qualities engraved on our dog tags, they are easily dethroned by social pressures and influences. Sometimes for good, and sometimes for wicked.
Influential people are constantly going to be diffusing in and out of our lives and it is up to us to discern who is of the positive, camouflage-worthy class, and who can be ignored.
It's daunting to think that when some of the most influential people in my life, those who have, in such a short time molded me and given me something to which I can aspire, will no longer infiltrate my everyday being, I could lose their spirit forever. They will go on to be imprinted by new lives, and their imprints on me will atrophy. But then again, we have the power to consciously maintain positive qualities in the ever-expanding puzzle that continues to shape us for the better.
Oscar Wilde, in what I take to be a critique on the human psyche, accused, "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." Bad habits are contagious, but so are good ones. If each of us is comprised of the best qualities in the plethora of individuals who have touched our lives, a quoted passion, or even a plagiarized one, doesn't have to be frowned upon. We can be the change we wish to see in the world, but we should also be that which we wish to perpetuate.
As you stroll the path collecting bread pieces left by those ahead, just remember that in the end, a chameleon is still a chameleon. Sometimes a black cloud, sometimes a pleasant sunrise, always a chameleon.
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