07/10/25 — Two selves

It seems to me that every thoughtful person ought to develop and maintain within herself two selves, each with its own perspective, attitude, mode of conduct, and interior cosmology.

The first of these selves is her anchor self, or her idealist self. The self which is uncompromising, impractical, earnest, emotional, and primitive. This is the self which defines and dreams of the way a person ought to be, the way the world ought to be, and the way a person ought to live in the world. This is the self which ought direct a person’s passions and psychosomatic communion; ought help her explore a foreign land, or make the most of a weekend. When I fantasize about carving myself a bathroom from a boulder of basalt, I am of this self.

The second of these selves is her sail self, or her realist self. The self which is reasonable, pragmatic, unserious, rational, and modern. This is the self which apprehends the world as it is and endeavors to adapt a person to it so that she may best navigate it. This is the self which ought direct a person’s relationships and campaign; ought help her defend her dignity, or participate in society. When I consider what change to allow a novel technology to catalyze in my life, I am of this self.

For a person to move through the world in ignorance, neglect, or denial of one of these selves is to will herself blind in one eye. For a person to move through the world in ignorance, neglect, or denial of the interplay between these selves is to speak without understanding her own tongue.