I've always heard that you have to make a good first impression when you meet someone, yet I've slowly come to release that I believe a "good" first impression is something that is very hard to achieve. I say this because I believe that while the first impression is important, it is just as important as the second, third, fourth, etc. until a certain point. Now then this point is different for everyone, could be anywhere from the fifth to the tenth to the twentieth, but everyone has it. The point I'm talking about is the point where the mystery, something I will explain in a bit, dissipates and a choice has to be made, also to be discussed later.
So first of all, what is "the mystery"? Well if you just think back to anytime you were getting to know someone, you will be able to see that it was there all along. The mystery surrounds anyone who you do not know. It's that shroud that covers them that you can't see through no matter how hard you look. Just think about it, what's the best part of meeting someone new? I feel that it is the fact that you don't know what kind of person is underneath the mystery. You can watch a person for as long as you wanted, but you could never really see them until you talk to them and started to chip away at the mystery that surround them piece by piece. However, sometimes this mystery can be there for more than just keeping out strangers.
The one thing about the mystery that makes it different from being just a fog that is easily blown away by just a few conversations is the fact that everyone has control of how much of their own mystery they let fade away toward each different person. This can be used in two different ways. The first is a way that you personally can use it towards others mysteries. As you begin to get to know some one, there is always that point where you feel comfortable with what you know about them. I like to think of this point as where you choose to stop chipping away at the mystery instead of the other person stopping you. You see, not everyone can know everything about all the people in their life, so they stop some people short, whether it be because they are afraid of what lies beneath the rest or just don't care to know anymore about that person.
The second way the mystery is used is by the person who you are trying to get to know. Everyone has a certain point to where they are comfortable with others getting to know them, but when that point is reached the mystery morphs from some kind of haze into a full blown wall, not letting anyone in. Behind these walls are the base of each person, the point at which they feel most vulnerable to the outside world. However, these walls are not indestructible. If you are able to break through the walls of a person, whether they have ten or just one, feel grateful in the fact that you have a friend of one of the highest levels. In addition though, you yourself also have to let down your own walls in order to truly have a strong friendship. If you are not willing to do this, you should not expect this of others.
So, what made me think of this? Not really sure to tell you the truth, but I think it just shows a little insight into the way I see thinks, slowly wisping away the mystery that surrounds me to all of those who read. But now I am done, and will continue my journey through my first full year of college with a smile on my face and eyes looking at the mysteries around me.
