To be honest, if I have to think about the one thing in this world that always holds my interest, I would have to say that it is, without a doubt, human nature. We're all driven by certain things. Certain things motivate us to act in certain ways, and somehow, in spite of the sheer number of human beings alive at this very point, we all happen to be unique on some level. Underneath our exteriors, we're all unique in personality and motives, and given that there are over six billion of us, I find that completely fascinating. And we all have our unique little masks.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what shaped you as a person? Can you think of any particular events which stand out in your mind as having molded you into who you are today? Do you let people see who you are, or do you put up a facade? Would you even be able to define yourself as a person?

I know I personally can't define myself to the extent that I'd be happy with the description I come up with. Perhaps it's that I'd like to believe that I'm far too complex an individual to simply summarize myself in words, but I know that isn't the case. There actually isn't any aspect of personality that I can't put into words. Maybe it's the fact that I don't truly feel I have any major goals or aspirations in my life that leaves me unwilling to even attempt to summarize the person I am in a few hundred words of text. Whatever the case, it hardly matters.

The idea that sparked this, though, is that I've noticed of late that I've become somewhat guarded. Upon meeting people lately, I tend to analyze them, categorize them, and then proceed to only let them see personality traits of mine that I think they'd identify with or respect. So, if anyone you meet thinks I'm shy, I either met them more than a year ago, or I simply couldn't categorize them quickly.

I'd venture to say this guardedness is good, though. If people can identify with me, and vice versa, then I can come to appreciate common traits we share... traits that I personally perceive to be good ones they possess. It also allows me to be open with them to a fair degree, yet still guard the person I truly am, which is good, if you ask me. So, while I am masking what really makes me tick, I still show off aspects of my personality that I believe certain people can identify with.

And surely it's better to mask yourself in that sense, rather than put on a false facade?