Sensate Medium: Impression and Expression
What do insensitive people sound like when they talk?
The word "insensitive" implies they are not sensing the other - that is, they do not hear them, nor do they want to. Surely speaking over them, loudly, or interrupting all that they have chosen to ignore or, rather, to not sense.
Dominance in conversation, in this way, seems inextricably tied to insensitivity.
The quiet and the meek being "trampled over" by the insistent, loud, interruptions of the one who has chosen to be heard (and not to hear.) Of course, brutish dominance and "Alpha" behavior of this kind have a well-established character and I need not belabor the point with descriptions of what, for instance, an Alpha male does to subjugate the less aggressive, easier-going members of his circle. I've simply noticed that insensitive people tend to be louder, tend to interrupt, and to not really listen very well or for very long.
That "sensitive" word does imply an inlet of sensation, of attention to one's surroundings and its messages. But what is the opposite of that "inlet?" The "outlet" of expression, of spoken message and intended meaning. One way to think of this inlet/outlet relationship is footprints.
Impression/Expression
Expression is outwardly-directed intention; some pattern of meaning which can affect those external from us. Like walking along the beach, expression could be thought of as the tread of our boot, the outlet of our self onto our surroundings, the pressure applied outwards from our center, down into the wet sand.
The Impression then would be the bootprint made in that sand, and reflects the given energy behind our state of being at that time - running, standing, or dancing, each person affects the sand in a different way. In the same way, our state of being makes an "imprint" on the people around us, some impressions people make on us extending deeper, lasting longer. Unforgettable moments like those can change us forever; for better or for worse, we are never the same after someone has made a strong impression on us.
But in the metaphor of the beach, what is the sand?
Soft and compliant, the sand represents our level of sensitivity to the expression of another -- how much do we "let in," or how much do we "stand our ground," remaining resilient to impressions? If the medium of sand is thought of as the trait of a sensitive person, someone "soft-skinned" or easily impressed, what of the insensitive person?
Concrete Ego
Not being easily swayed, resistant to change or to new ideas, dominant and strong in their stance, the insensitive person could be thought of as concrete or stone - an impenetrable ignorant ego, ready to fight and to ignore opposition. I feel this ego type as more masculine in nature. In their extreme form, they are unphased by even the strongest expressions, and unwilling to hear or internalize perspectives or opinions which differ from their own. There are certainly benefits to this state of ego, like safety and defense, overall our boot print of personal expression makes no impression on this type - fully ignored and resisted, unless the interaction is made during the early formative years of that person's experience, before he has "concertized." At the same time, those early impressions on him are strong and ever lasting.
Glass Ego
Brittle and fragile, the glass ego would wish to be as strong and safely defended as concrete, yet its perceived strength is only a front. With just a bit of pressure from our boot of expression, the glass bottle bursts loudly with shards of anger and hurt, ready to cut deep into that foot whose intention may not have been offensive. I feel this ego type as more feminine in nature. It is in the heat of passion that strong and everlasting impressions can be made on the glass ego, her shape conforming to that first glassblower's whim reminds me of the great lengths I see my niece go through to please and appease her first boyfriend; never wanting that relationship to shatter, she endures indignities in conservation of that passion, but only so long. It is not uncommon to hear of the strength and resilience of first love, and the expense of the girl. It seems as the ego hardens, becoming less flexible, the utility of the glass bottle, its solid form, also become what makes it dangerous in its liability to break.
Material density seems like it could be a meaningful metaphor for understanding different personality types, their tendencies and tensions. Pressure in, pressure out, how applied and to what degree? Social interactions can be more successful, perhaps, if we know our type and the type of those in our circles. That is to say, things can go a lot more smoothly if we know if the relationship is a walk on the beach or a "walk in the park."
The word "insensitive" implies they are not sensing the other - that is, they do not hear them, nor do they want to. Surely speaking over them, loudly, or interrupting all that they have chosen to ignore or, rather, to not sense.
Dominance in conversation, in this way, seems inextricably tied to insensitivity.
The quiet and the meek being "trampled over" by the insistent, loud, interruptions of the one who has chosen to be heard (and not to hear.) Of course, brutish dominance and "Alpha" behavior of this kind have a well-established character and I need not belabor the point with descriptions of what, for instance, an Alpha male does to subjugate the less aggressive, easier-going members of his circle. I've simply noticed that insensitive people tend to be louder, tend to interrupt, and to not really listen very well or for very long.
That "sensitive" word does imply an inlet of sensation, of attention to one's surroundings and its messages. But what is the opposite of that "inlet?" The "outlet" of expression, of spoken message and intended meaning. One way to think of this inlet/outlet relationship is footprints.
Impression/Expression
Expression is outwardly-directed intention; some pattern of meaning which can affect those external from us. Like walking along the beach, expression could be thought of as the tread of our boot, the outlet of our self onto our surroundings, the pressure applied outwards from our center, down into the wet sand.
The Impression then would be the bootprint made in that sand, and reflects the given energy behind our state of being at that time - running, standing, or dancing, each person affects the sand in a different way. In the same way, our state of being makes an "imprint" on the people around us, some impressions people make on us extending deeper, lasting longer. Unforgettable moments like those can change us forever; for better or for worse, we are never the same after someone has made a strong impression on us.
But in the metaphor of the beach, what is the sand?
Soft and compliant, the sand represents our level of sensitivity to the expression of another -- how much do we "let in," or how much do we "stand our ground," remaining resilient to impressions? If the medium of sand is thought of as the trait of a sensitive person, someone "soft-skinned" or easily impressed, what of the insensitive person?
Concrete Ego
Not being easily swayed, resistant to change or to new ideas, dominant and strong in their stance, the insensitive person could be thought of as concrete or stone - an impenetrable ignorant ego, ready to fight and to ignore opposition. I feel this ego type as more masculine in nature. In their extreme form, they are unphased by even the strongest expressions, and unwilling to hear or internalize perspectives or opinions which differ from their own. There are certainly benefits to this state of ego, like safety and defense, overall our boot print of personal expression makes no impression on this type - fully ignored and resisted, unless the interaction is made during the early formative years of that person's experience, before he has "concertized." At the same time, those early impressions on him are strong and ever lasting.
Glass Ego
Brittle and fragile, the glass ego would wish to be as strong and safely defended as concrete, yet its perceived strength is only a front. With just a bit of pressure from our boot of expression, the glass bottle bursts loudly with shards of anger and hurt, ready to cut deep into that foot whose intention may not have been offensive. I feel this ego type as more feminine in nature. It is in the heat of passion that strong and everlasting impressions can be made on the glass ego, her shape conforming to that first glassblower's whim reminds me of the great lengths I see my niece go through to please and appease her first boyfriend; never wanting that relationship to shatter, she endures indignities in conservation of that passion, but only so long. It is not uncommon to hear of the strength and resilience of first love, and the expense of the girl. It seems as the ego hardens, becoming less flexible, the utility of the glass bottle, its solid form, also become what makes it dangerous in its liability to break.
Material density seems like it could be a meaningful metaphor for understanding different personality types, their tendencies and tensions. Pressure in, pressure out, how applied and to what degree? Social interactions can be more successful, perhaps, if we know our type and the type of those in our circles. That is to say, things can go a lot more smoothly if we know if the relationship is a walk on the beach or a "walk in the park."