Second Skin - Could You Pull It Off

[user 190648]

After listening to an old time mystery theatre drama, it made me think of a question for you all. So, the scenario is, you have the opportunity to take over someone else's life, but as the person you are inside. For example, a guy might want Matt Damon's life, so the wish is granted and you are for all intents and purposes now Matt Damon and everyone see's you as him, but you're still the same you, which may or may nor completely change "Mat Damon's" life from this point. Are you with me? So my question is a two parter - whose life would you want to have (can be different gender) and do you think that you could carry on as successfully as that person given that you may have internal challenges that could affect your ability to do so, or perhaps just that fact that you're living the life you'd like to have that that would solve some or all of the challenges you're struggling with today?

For me, if I had to choose, I do actually like Matt Damon, but I can't say I know a great deal about his life, but he seems like a nice guy with a nice career (a career that as a kid I was keen to have) and his life appears pretty good, without too much conflict or controversy, and obviously he's wealthy enough to have a pretty nice life. So I guess I'd like to swap into his place. But, could I carry on with it? Hmm, I'm not sure. I guess I'd feel more attractive to people, more welcomed and looked up to and wouldn't be short of friends and entertainment and having fun, and I guess I'd come out of my shell more as I felt a part of some interesting social circles, and I'd enjoy the acting work for sure I think as I like to entertain people. When I consider my traits and challenges, I might fall short in confidence in dealing with people though, and having enough to keep people interested in conversation, but then I would have more to talk about I guess. I would have to deal with some pretentious people, fakes and suckups, which would annoy me, and I might not be as tactful as Mat Damon, so I might started putting people off, maybe. Hmm, the more I think about it, the more I think I actually might be able to pull it off. I don't think (there might be people who would argue otherwise) I have any issue so serious or challenging that couldn't be overcome if I was suddenly in Matt Damon's skin. I might be overlooking something about myself as I write this, but for the moment, Yes, Yes, I could be Matt Damon lol

How do you think you would go? Maybe you wouldn't even want to do such a thing. If you would, could you overcome your issues to be successful? And as who? (Cue dramatic sting)

What a wonderful topic, eh. No kidding. So many ppl think that they want to be X, Y, or Z instead their own A, and they all make the mistake that you talk about -- missing out 2 points:
1) one can NEVER know the exact life/state of someone else from aside; what we see is just the formal/material part of his/her life, and the material part never matters more than the... non-material part.
2) if the psychic/personality/skills of A go to X, Y, or Z, this will be not just amalgamation of them two; such kind of amalgamation is impossible, right? I don't know WHAT it would be, but the sure thing is that Personality A has its own set of views on things like "right/wrong", and Personality B (X, Y, Z) has its own. That's obvious, right? The consequence of it is that the formal achievements (bc achievements are what u talk abt) of B could have been gained through ways which are considered unacceptable by A. So, if A to take the skin of B, it means that A has to change his/her own persona, bc he/she would have to change his/her principles (moral and else kind of ones). It is a paradox no smaller than the one with the time machine -- where one goes to the past and causes changes which would then make his/her birth impossible.

Personally, I'd never wish to take someone else's skin, and I have never had such a desire. In my opinion, one's greatest treasure is one's own personality (greatest in terms of a separate, concrete living creature). No matter what kind of life you have, the respect to your own persona has to e there. That's why you should keep yourself off the stuff that will make you lose respect for yourself (or will make you put enormous energy into deluding yourself that you haven't lost respect for yourself, lol). No one is an angel, but still, we have the option to choose what and how we do, in interaction with the world, i.e., with the other beings.

 

[user 190648]

@NoxApex(N/A), @okidoke:

I haven't seen this movie (it is now in my "to watch" list, tho), but here's what this pic made me think of:
A celebrity guy/girl, whose face everyone strives for, doesn't really care like, striving for some light (in good or bad sense), strives to communicate (or build a cult for, lol) the face, but doesn't really care abt the true persona behind the face. The true persona is not even thought abt. This is a very saddening thing, in my opinion. And the idiotisms of PR-industry strive EXACTLY for it.

In "Jesus Christ Superstar", the melody of the "Hosanna" song where the crowd (I say crowd, not people, for a reason) praises Jesus, and the song where it (the crowd) bullies him later on, is the same (either the whole one, or part of it, I'm not sure right now). And this is one of the most meaningful things. I mean, it is not the religious idea what matters there, it is the personal/social/moral stuff that are talked there (and in every other deep story). Crowd is a monster that would rise you and then murder you only bc it needs to see itself powerful. That's why crowd is a thing which you should never obey to -- you should strive to teach and mature the crowd, in this or that way, but to obey to the crowd is a suicide.

Oh, ok, this is some off-topic. Just, this is what the pic made me think of.

 

[okidoke]

What a wonderful topic, eh. No kidding. So many ppl think that they want to be X, Y, or Z instead their own A, and they all make the mistake that you talk about -- missing out 2 points:
1) one can NEVER know the exact life/state of someone else from aside; what we see is just the formal/material part of his/her life, and the material part never matters more than the... non-material part.
2) if the psychic/personality/skills of A go to X, Y, or Z, this will be not just amalgamation of them two; such kind of amalgamation is impossible, right? I don't know WHAT it would be, but the sure thing is that Personality A has its own set of views on things like "right/wrong", and Personality B (X, Y, Z) has its own. That's obvious, right? The consequence of it is that the formal achievements (bc achievements are what u talk abt) of B could have been gained through ways which are considered unacceptable by A. So, if A to take the skin of B, it means that A has to change his/her own persona, bc he/she would have to change his/her principles (moral and else kind of ones). It is a paradox no smaller than the one with the time machine -- where one goes to the past and causes changes which would then make his/her birth impossible.

Personally, I'd never wish to take someone else's skin, and I have never had such a desire. In my opinion, one's greatest treasure is one's own personality (greatest in terms of a separate, concrete living creature). No matter what kind of life you have, the respect to your own persona has to e there. That's why you should keep yourself off the stuff that will make you lose respect for yourself (or will make you put enormous energy into deluding yourself that you haven't lost respect for yourself, lol). No one is an angel, but still, we have the option to choose what and how we do, in interaction with the world, i.e., with the other beings.

I don't disagree with what you say Lori. The thread had a deeper meaning for me. In that what I was trying to get at was due to some people complaining, whining, wishing, etc that they had the advantages of certain other people, that they felt disadvantaged by their own circumstances, their genes, their looks, their bad parents, etc etc, so herein I give them an opportunity to suddenly be in someone else's skin, someone whose lives they may envy, and I wonder if by having that opportunity they could carry on being successful and maybe content and happy as said skin, or would it just all fall apart at some point due to their inner self coming out.

 

[user 190648]

I don't disagree with what you say Lori. The thread had a deeper meaning for me. In that what I was trying to get at was due to some people complaining, whining, wishing, etc that they had the advantages of certain other people, that they felt disadvantaged by their own circumstances, their genes, their looks, their bad parents, etc etc, so herein I give them an opportunity to suddenly be in someone else's skin, someone whose lives they may envy, and I wonder if by having that opportunity they could carry on being successful and maybe content and happy as said skin, or would it just all fall apart at some point due to their inner self coming out.

Yes, I understand what you mean, Oki, as I have read your view on the topic (of whining and complaining) in some other threads. And I don't disagree with you too; complaining, on its own, is not of use or of worth. What I always fight against, is not the disadvantages/advantages themselves, but the way in which people become too egoistic and mean and cruel, for reasons that seem to them deserving it.

And if to place the question flat, then, yes, I do think that if I am rn given the opportunities that some other persons have, and I mean persons who don't deserve these opportunities, I would do much better than them -- EXACTLY bc I'm a different kind of persona. As I say many times already, I'm not an angel or some guru; but, I have to be totally blind so to not see that many and many ppl have the sweet part and progress only bc the options are given to them in hand, practically, or, bc they are mean and cruel. NOT everyone who has formal achievements is a such s***, of course; but SO MANY are.

I do wish we had a different world. I.e., I do wish we were strong enough to do the needed and make the world different, in any point that needs a change.

But, that's another topic.

 

[Aldertraccia]

The Pope, I'd like to know what's all locked up in the Vat.

 

[okidoke]

The Pope, I'd like to know what's all locked up in the Vat.

How do you think you would go? Could you overcome your issues to be successful?

 

[Aldertraccia]

How do you think you would go? Could you overcome your issues to be successful?

Yeah totally, God would be my saviour, I would have a direct line with the Lord. No issues there, just all the answers. Isn't that how it goes?

 

[okidoke]

Yeah totally, God would be my saviour, I would have a direct line with the Lord. No issues there, just all the answers. Isn't that how it goes?

I really wouldn't know. I guess it depends how everyone else sees you in that position.

 

[Draven]

The Pope, I'd like to know what's all locked up in the Vat.

I'm on the same page here I just don't know if it has to be a person I'm already aware of. Could I just choose a rumored organization that may or may not exist and be their leader? I could definitely do something like this but I wouldn't worry about being successful or successfully upholding their responsibilities. I might want to drive that live into the ground really out of spite or just carelessness. Anyway I think it'd be sick to have the life of the Illuminati's leader and find out what in the bloody hell's going on here. Might fresia around and full send mass chaos dictator style

 

[Draven]

I'm on the same page here I just don't know if it has to be a person I'm already aware of. Could I just choose a rumored organization that may or may not exist and be their leader? I could definitely do something like this but I wouldn't worry about being successful or successfully upholding their responsibilities. I might want to drive that live into the ground really out of spite or just carelessness. Anyway I think it'd be sick to have the life of the Illuminati's leader and find out what in the bloody hell's going on here. Might fresia around and full send mass chaos dictator style

freesia? Shoulda been the big F word. :|

 

[okidoke]

I'm on the same page here ....

The thread is about how well you might take over somebody else's life so you could lead their life instead of your own, overcoming whatever holds you back today. So, BANG, you get thrown into (pick someone you admire for example) that other person's body and life; could you carry on being as successful as them now that you have the opportunity, or will your issues stuff it all up and you now destroy that opportunity to be content?

freesia? Shoulda been the big F word. :|

it's an auto correct for some naughty words.