[words] Because now I'm curious...
Sep. 26th, 2005 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wispfoxDefine 'alien', if you would?
Mine, from an attempt at explaining it in a comment from previous previous post:
The behaviors of the people who surrounded me generally made no sense, for most of my life. I was missing the nonverbal portion of communication, and most of the apparently 'obvious' things that most people pick up on.
So, being surrounded by beings whose behavior made no sense, and who mostly had _NO_ idea why I was so very confused, when my confusion made perfect sense to me, made me decide at a very young age that I wasn't actually human, and ended up on the wrong planet (this was probably after I started reading science fiction). Especially since them not understanding why I was confused tended to mean that most people didn't try to explain anything to me.
Most of my life, I spent people-watching, in an attempt to understand what the _hell_ was going on. Anthropological studies, if I had only known it at the time. That helped, some, but people with good skills in such taking the time to try to explain body language and tone and such - so I had a basis from which to try to start to understand such things - made the biggest difference.
In other words, I had to be taught how to speak the most prevalent language of human beings, because I did _not_ pick it up on my own. Ok, I got more than nothing; really dramatic stuff got through. But I never understood why people were so upset with me for not understanding what was going on before then.
--
I note that being different from others is _NOT_ what I mean by alien.
I mean... not being able to comprehend why other people do what they do, for most of my life. _All_ other people, and at least until I started collecting enough data to see patterns, pretty much all non-basic needs behaviors. Family, friends, no one made sense. Some were just kind/aware enough to try to explain things to me. That information - combined with those who tried to explain body language and such - helped with my anthropological attempts.
I mean having (figuratively) beat my head against walls and acted like an anthropologist in order to try to figure things out. I mean having made the poor choice of trying to pretend to be like the other humans, in order to possibly get a better idea of what the hell was going on (not that it worked, but it did mean I still find bits of that remaining in my psyche to pick out again).
It's not 'feeling different'. It's 'you people don't make _SENSE_, this can't really be where I'm from!'.
Not that I have any idea if this is going to be something that is explainable to someone who hasn't experienced it, now that I think about it...
Mine, from an attempt at explaining it in a comment from previous previous post:
The behaviors of the people who surrounded me generally made no sense, for most of my life. I was missing the nonverbal portion of communication, and most of the apparently 'obvious' things that most people pick up on.
So, being surrounded by beings whose behavior made no sense, and who mostly had _NO_ idea why I was so very confused, when my confusion made perfect sense to me, made me decide at a very young age that I wasn't actually human, and ended up on the wrong planet (this was probably after I started reading science fiction). Especially since them not understanding why I was confused tended to mean that most people didn't try to explain anything to me.
Most of my life, I spent people-watching, in an attempt to understand what the _hell_ was going on. Anthropological studies, if I had only known it at the time. That helped, some, but people with good skills in such taking the time to try to explain body language and tone and such - so I had a basis from which to try to start to understand such things - made the biggest difference.
In other words, I had to be taught how to speak the most prevalent language of human beings, because I did _not_ pick it up on my own. Ok, I got more than nothing; really dramatic stuff got through. But I never understood why people were so upset with me for not understanding what was going on before then.
--
I note that being different from others is _NOT_ what I mean by alien.
I mean... not being able to comprehend why other people do what they do, for most of my life. _All_ other people, and at least until I started collecting enough data to see patterns, pretty much all non-basic needs behaviors. Family, friends, no one made sense. Some were just kind/aware enough to try to explain things to me. That information - combined with those who tried to explain body language and such - helped with my anthropological attempts.
I mean having (figuratively) beat my head against walls and acted like an anthropologist in order to try to figure things out. I mean having made the poor choice of trying to pretend to be like the other humans, in order to possibly get a better idea of what the hell was going on (not that it worked, but it did mean I still find bits of that remaining in my psyche to pick out again).
It's not 'feeling different'. It's 'you people don't make _SENSE_, this can't really be where I'm from!'.
Not that I have any idea if this is going to be something that is explainable to someone who hasn't experienced it, now that I think about it...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 02:04 pm (UTC)*nod* Indeed. Me, too, although I'm fascinated to note that finding (or being found by) someone online can mean they are actually nearby. :)
You've done a sterling job yourself, ya know :-)
*immensely confused*
With...?
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 02:09 pm (UTC)Only one on-line Wonderful Discovery Person I've actually met lives anywhere near me :-o
We Aussies are rather rare and thinly spread by world standards :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 02:56 pm (UTC)Ah. Yes, now. :) Lots of practice and anthropological studies. :)
Only one on-line Wonderful Discovery Person I've actually met lives anywhere near me :-o
*nod* I think I've only had one person I found online first - rather than in person first - who was local.
So it's not just a thinly spread problem. May, however, relate to the fact that I rarely remember people easily if I've not met them first!
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 03:15 pm (UTC)Of course I'm now luring locals into lj...or learning they were already there!
It doesn't help that I live about an hour or so south of Melbourne proper.
I know more nifty lj folks in Massachusetts than my state of Australia still however, I suspect :-0
Luck with any further anthropological studies, and isn't Olver Sacks nifty?
no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 03:59 pm (UTC)Well, ditto. :)
Of course I'm now luring locals into lj...or learning they were already there!
Cooool. That helps!
It doesn't help that I live about an hour or so south of Melbourne proper.
Huh! Didn't know how far out you were. I knew you weren't in Melbourne proper, but not where you _were_.
I know more nifty lj folks in Massachusetts than my state of Australia still however, I suspect :-0
Heh. Possibly even more nifty LJ folks in the Boston area, even, I suspect. There seems to be a huge number of such in Boston. :)
Luck with any further anthropological studies, and isn't Olver Sacks nifty?
Thank you, and I have no clue who Olver Sacks is. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 07:02 pm (UTC)