^ Snail scooped off the beach in Perhentian




Today somebody told me this:

It reminded me of something I read a while back, one of the theories stemming from Symbolic Interactionism, by Goffman.

(Read on if you have a specific interest in Sociology, or do not have any other method of killing boredom.)

Goffman described the interaction of society at a micro-level, or more importantly - people, and how they behaved.

He likened human beings to actors, and Life as a theatre.

We act differently to different people, to invoke a certain perception we want them to have of us.

So for our whole life, we're just acting. Making people believe what we want them to believe.

And it's scary because everybody's doing it. It's a way of life.

(You can stop worrying because that's all about Sociology for today.)

Which brings me to this question: Would you rather be a snail, or a hermit crab?

A snail - Stuck in its own shell. Boring. But comfortable and stable.

A hermit crab - Able to change shells as and when you like. Unpredictable because you might get crappy looking shells. But exciting because you never know when you might find a beautiful shell to live in.

I don't know how to answer my own question.

But I thought long and hard about it, and I think: I WANT to be a snail, but what I truly am - a hermit crab.

And a pathetic hermit crab who keeps finding the lousy shells at that.