What Would ‘Most People’ Do?
Today I had to take a personality test and I have no idea how it came out. As part of the test, I was supposed to project how “most people” feel and react to different situations. Such as, are “most people” happy-go-lucky? Do “most people” feel depressed and no good at all? All I could think about was, “Who are ‘most people?’”
I could get lost going down that rabbit hole. Are “most people” everyone I know? Are they my Facebook friends? My family, co-workers, the people on Bus 265? Then I’d say, most people are doing okay, getting by, hanging on.
Or are “most people” the total world population? In that case, I probably flunked the test. I have no idea if the people of Africa feel depressed, or if the Chinese are happy-go-lucky. If most of the world’s population lives like the children on Slum Dog Millionaire, don’t ask me how they feel. I am disqualified to answer.
“Most people” may be terrified most of the time. Because middle-class, employed white people living in the United States are not most people.
Posted: May 18th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comment from Janet Benton
Time May 19, 2009 at 10:06 am
“Most people” run the gambit of emotion. On any given day it could change like the weather and let’s face it “most people” are good actors, smiling when they are sad or displaying fits of anger towards people who have no idea why they are being flipped off. There are chain reactions, too. The ol’ kick the dog syndrom or sh*t rolls downhill. Of course, on the flip side a smile can make a whole lot of difference, so can a warm meal on an empty stomach, or a helping hand when the load gets too heavy. And that load can be physical or emotional. I think we forget we live in a community. I know that I do, sometimes, but I think there is something to the butterfly effect.
Christie, thank you for writing this blog. It makes me think.