![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Blink. Look again.
Feb. 21st, 2009 01:27 amSo, you want to know what it's like?
Imagine that you're sitting on a train, heading to wherever you tend to go. You see a dozen or so people, all just kind of sitting there doing their own thing. One guy has headphones on, another has a magazine, that woman over there is reading a book, etc. Nothing special.
Blink. Look again.
Same dozen people, but they're now broadcasting everything about how they feel right in front of you. The guy with the headphones on is feeling pretty good about himself. The magazine reader is obviously keeping himself distracted from something really unpleasant. The one with the book just wishes everyone would leave her alone.
You don't have to construct their stories. The surface impressions are interesting on their own. You're not even trying too hard. The first time you tried, it was like trying to listen to the entire FM band at once, but then you learned to filter out things, keep focused, and pay attention... because you can't not pay attention; not anymore.
Some days, you can't believe that people keep their emotions hanging out like that. It all feels.... distasteful, in some undefinable way.
So yeah. That's what it feels like.
Lucky me.
Imagine that you're sitting on a train, heading to wherever you tend to go. You see a dozen or so people, all just kind of sitting there doing their own thing. One guy has headphones on, another has a magazine, that woman over there is reading a book, etc. Nothing special.
Blink. Look again.
Same dozen people, but they're now broadcasting everything about how they feel right in front of you. The guy with the headphones on is feeling pretty good about himself. The magazine reader is obviously keeping himself distracted from something really unpleasant. The one with the book just wishes everyone would leave her alone.
You don't have to construct their stories. The surface impressions are interesting on their own. You're not even trying too hard. The first time you tried, it was like trying to listen to the entire FM band at once, but then you learned to filter out things, keep focused, and pay attention... because you can't not pay attention; not anymore.
Some days, you can't believe that people keep their emotions hanging out like that. It all feels.... distasteful, in some undefinable way.
So yeah. That's what it feels like.
Lucky me.
