People as they Really Are!
By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.
It might appear advantageous for any society if people could be recognized and known as they really are. Nevertheless, that is a practical difficulty. Individuals are in the process of perpetual becoming. Some get worse than they were, though many make a significant effort to be always better today than they were yesterday, and so on!
Furthermore, the circumstances of any given moment affect how people will act; the manner one dresses, the location where one is present at a certain time, as well as the nature of any conversation held, brings something different from each person.
Not to be forgotten also, when people are in a group they can easily put up “fronts” and act somewhat differently than they really are most of the time. Even in religious institutions there’s an inbuilt proclivity on the part of some to look, act, and appear better than others which, of course, can never happen since there’s no human perfection on earth. No one can ever reach that level while in the world; any such attempt is just a fake!
It was the ancient, Pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus, who had stated that no person enters the same river twice. Each occasion one descends its banks, the water is new, the gravel at the bottom is different, even the fish will vary.
Much more so is the case with human beings. The experiences of each new day affect one’s thinking and being; new issues learned and attitudes manifested change continually, causing one to act differently. Personal growth or lack thereof, from one day to another, affect the personal projection of one’s self!
Nevertheless, however true all that may be, certain features need to remain constant in each individual, regardless of where she or he may be; certain values acquired may be among those things which never change, and continue to affect human behavior in consistent ways.
More than anything else, one’s identity must be recognizable and a person’s genuineness should remain steady, apart from other changes occurring. While much is in flux in every human life, there’s also much that does not pass away, and such are the traits which can best point to people as they really are, every moment you encounter each!
