"According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves."
- Plato, The Symposium
Many people believe that this quote is directed towards finding your soulmate, the other half that completes you. How is it, though, that there could be someone out there that fits you as well as two jigsaw pieces fit together?
It is not that I don't believe in soulmates, but just that the only person who could complete you, is yourself.
There are people - and animals - with whom I am thoughtful and tender. My family, my friends. There is a part of me that cares and wants to be sweet to them. This is the part of me that loves rabbits, listens to indie singer-songwriters, watches cartoons...In essence: is completely enamoured with all that is cute and twee.
But, just being loving and cute and tender is boring. I know that. I see it in the faces of those who are tired of looking at pictures of corgis and babies. There is more to life than fawning over beings that are exceedingly round. That's where my alternative self comes in: A person who swears like a sailor, loves gangsta rap, is loud and cuts people down with sarcasm because shit's just gotta be real sometimes. Someone who does not give a fuck unless you can throw it down as well.
I don't think I realised I had two sides until recently. My cuter side only showed itself when I was in elementary and middle school, but quickly got shoved to the side when I became a teenager. Cuteness had nothing on acting like a straight-up bitch when I walked those highschool hallways (in my super cool converse, amirite?). When I started university was when I saw that only having one side was stale. There were already people busting down, and they weren't super nice. I didn't want to be like that.
In the end, it was a matter of tweaking my reactions based on the receiver and finding myself in those that could accept both of my sides at once. Those who will accept that everything must stop when a cute baby/dog/round thing is in the vicinity and listening to my rants/laments about how rap stars are changing their stage names to mundane monikers (why MosDef???).
When you are growing, you develop the personalities that divide you - your kid personality, your high school persona, your adult-in-training attitude. Then, as an adult, you have to understand that two-way monologues do not work. Accept all it is that you are - embrace it - and then unleash it on the world. Have your baby and your Busta Bust. Be interesting.
