People have odd ways of perceiving things, and something that made me realise just how vastly our perceptions differ from reality, was how my cousin is perceived relative to me, by the environment we share.

Typically, to put it out in the open, there are a few personality facets which people seem to attribute to us.

Firstly, people perceive him as the angelic type whom they can confide in, who will give them logical advice, as well as emotional support. When they need someone to talk to in that sense, he's the right person. He's a calm, well-centered guy who wouldn't take risks, who isn't a party animal, who isn't the sort to go absolutely wild, a man who isn't blunt or tactless.

What they perceive me to be, is the person who takes the risks, the person who is blunt, the person who is rebellious, the loose cannon of the family. I'm the guy who had his eyebrow pierced, the boy who had an ear piercing, the person whose friends catch him on camera when he makes out with a female at a party, or whose friends ask his help to help them hit on females.

The best example of people perceiving this as the truth would be our family. What I find funny though, is the person they perceive me to be, is the person he is, and the person they perceive him to be, is to a large extent, the person I am.

I'm the person that steals the mampoer bottle from him and feeds him apple sours when he's finished, as well as the mate that makes sure he doesn't do stupid things. He is largely what people understand my persona to be, and to a significant extent, I think I'm the person people perceive him to be, underneath all the external personality mask jazz.

And how, you ask, do these discrepancies between truth and perception come about? My guess would be not because both he and I can pull off the acting required to make a person perceive us as the type of person they'd want to be associated with, but rather, because I don't find myself all that bothered to play that role, whereas he feels more at ease doing so.

This became evident to me in another circumstance too. At high school, I had a friend who shared my views and opinions on things. The difference in behaviour on our part came in him playing up to what he wanted the teachers to perceive him as, versus me being outwardly blatant and honest about how much I cared about school. End result, he was made head boy, I was absolved of responsibilities.

I wonder if this whole thing is just a case of me being happier to display the real me, flaws and all, or if I'm deluding myself into thinking that my apathetic behaviour when it comes to pleasing people is actually acceptable. Should I go for tact lessons?