John Carlos Baez

I'm struggling to become more like myself. So I was happy to read that Agatha Christie wrote:

"As life goes on, however, it becomes tiring to keep up the character you invented for yourself, and so you relapse into individuality and become more like yourself every day. This is sometimes disconcerting for those around you, but a great relief to the person concerned."

Thanks to @grimalkinUSA for pointing this out:

https://mathstodon.xyz/@grimalkinUSA@sfba.social/114881102342022998

For more on Jean Edmonds Kortum:

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jean-Kortum-Key-figure-in-S-F-freeway-revolt-2498516.php

Jul 19 at 8:15pmWeb
Show threadTony VladusichJul 19

@johncarlosbaez @grimalkinUSA

How did you become "not yourself"? Genuine question.

Show threadCarol BrownsonJul 19
@TonyVladusich @johncarlosbaez I often contemplate aspects of that very question while sitting on the bench.
Show threadBartosz MilewskiJul 19
@johncarlosbaez
I experienced it on myself, and my life got so much less stressful.
Show threadNickJul 20
@johncarlosbaez @grimalkinUSA I'm glad you passed that along, thanks. And as a bonus it helped me make sense out of my recent visit with an aqaintance I hadn't seen in a long time (it didn't go so great🤣)
Show threadJohn Carlos BaezJul 20
@coffeemug - glad it helped!
Show threadRowena BallJul 20
@johncarlosbaez
That is nice... for a while. Then one relapses back into sociability to truly be oneself! We are a social species and our 'individuality' is shaped and nurtured by interactions with others and what we give to others. Any real-life situation of prolonged, introspective individuality highlights this. When I'm on the road alone in remote NW Qld, no phone signal or even long-wave radio for 100s of km, and forgot to load podcasts in advance, just the road and the emus and my own thoughts, sure I discover meself! Then I arrive at the next roadhouse or pub and forget all about that, probably spurious, 'self'! 🙂
More likely remembered are the emus
Show threadVassil NikolovJul 20

It is indeed from her autobiography, a book I am happy to have read, even though I hadn't remembered that particular part.

@johncarlosbaez @grimalkinUSA

Show threadCarol BrownsonJul 20
@vnikolov @johncarlosbaez Wow! I didn't know. Now I have to read that. I had no idea where exactly it was from. Thanks.
Show threadMans RJul 20
@johncarlosbaez @grimalkinUSA I heard somewhere that "people don't change, they just become more like themselves."