You Really Don't Know Anyone. You Only See What People Want You to See

The more we interact with one another we tend to begin thinking that we know each other. It is easy to say you know someone just because you've known them for 10 years and you deduce the course of action they're likely to take or predict a certain behaviour.

But in actual fact, no matter how long you know someone, you really do not know them fully.

Generally, we know the kind of things that people we are close to like or dislike, we know their attitudes and behaviours. But what we may never know is the true character of a person.

Humans are so great at concealing their true nature, sometimes not because they are hiding something or perhaps their malevolent nature but simply because they are in a defensive or survival mode, which can happen unconsciously.

From upbringing and our backgrounds, certain societal standards and norms have been formed regarding what a person should be - in essence, one has to be a good person and how a good person should be.

With these standards, we are socialized to live in a certain way, we are programmed to appear a certain way before others, so we can be accepted and be seen as good people.

These standards and norms are what make us not know one another.

Someone's true character may differ from the social norms but you may never know their true character simply because they 'have to' act a certain way.

So no matter how long you may know someone, you probably do not really know them. You only know what they want you to know. You only see what they want you to see.

And this is formed by the social norms that people are almost programmed to be. So, people will only show what is ideal even if it is not in their true nature to be so.

Not to say this is wrong. Having standards and norms has way more benefits than not having any. Without standards and norms, we'd live in a jungle kind of world that would have way more negative impacts on humanity than the concealment of people's character.

So before you say you know someone, remember that people only show you what they want you to see.