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|FRAGMENTS
The Illusion of Knowing Someone
Understanding that people are more than the moments in which we encounter them.
Perspective
We look at the ocean and call it beautiful when the water is calm, but we rarely think about its depths, its storms, or the waves hidden beneath the surface. Perhaps we do the same with people. We fall in love with the parts they reveal to us, forgetting that there is an entire world within them that we may never fully understand. We mistake the little we experience for everything they are, forgetting that no human being can be understood through a handful of moments.
We become attached to the versions of people that make us feel good. We remember how gently they spoke when we needed comfort, how patiently they listened when we had too much to say, and how their presence made an ordinary day feel a little lighter. We hold on to those memories because they made us feel seen and understood.
We want that warmth to remain. Somewhere along the way, appreciation turns into expectation, and we begin hoping that the person will always remain the way we first experienced them. We forget that people are not meant to exist in one particular mood or…
