My husband used to tell me a little story I have since cherished that occurred on the day I first arrived in Germany ten years ago. My flight out of New York had been abruptly delayed by a few hours, so he had to wait for me in the airport lobby for quite a while. He sat quietly, puzzling over the joyous enigma of my visit, and as the time slowly passed, he found himself staring at the endless procession of cars moving along the many overlapping roadways surrounding the low, narrow building. It had been a dark, rainy winter evening. I imagine the passing headlights cast glimmering circlets on the wide, rain-studded windows in front of him. The lights brightening into glaring cone-like flashes as they neared, only to shrink back into facetted spheres, narrowing down to pinpoints, eventually fading back into darkness as the cars sped away one by one.

As he looked on, a particularly poignant thought struck him: Each person in those passing cars had a reason for being there at that precise moment. Each person had somewhere to drive to, a family, a story to tell. Each and every one of them had a story— had, in fact, many stories to tell.

sonder, n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk. (This is a new word originating from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig)

alightcirclecitylightspainted4mpbaecker

Each set of lights was a person, shining so brightly in the gloom and fading. Each with their own distinct emotions and reasons for being there. Perhaps one person was in the midst of a relationship crisis, driving back home after saying a cold goodbye to someone they once trusted. Perhaps a family was reunited for the first time in many years. Perhaps a taxi driver was hurrying back to the city to pick up more customers for the night. Perhaps someone was singing along to a favorite song on the radio on their way to see an old friend. It was all likely. Perhaps someone was even looking back at him, at his darkened form against the window, that very moment, wondering the same thing about him!

It is also likely, that try as they might, no one could ever guess the real reasons why he or anyone else was actually there. Who could have guessed that my husband was at the airport that particular evening because he was waiting, of all people, for a woman he randomly met while dancing past midnight in Barcelona just a few months before. That this woman became a friend that he often wrote to and had lively Skype conversations with, a friend who secretly wondered if their relationship would develop into something more, something secure and lasting. That love was quickly becoming apparent between them. Love, that would bring them to unknown places and through daunting challenges. Love, that would make them whole, sound and better than before.

It is also likely that no one can ever completely understand what exactly is going on in anyone’s life at any given moment, let alone what that person has gone through in the past, what kind of person they really are, or what they are capable of. It’s quite hard enough to know all this of oneself! Yet, it often strikes me whenever I meet someone for the first time or observe the many exchanges between strangers in daily life, how often we treat other people as if they were no more than props, inconveniences, or two-dimensional figures with little to no complexity of their own. All are diminished to background material in the center stage that is our own life. Stereotyping has always been a commonplace and habitual activity, as widespread as it is effortless to do. The reduction of people to simpler, quantifiable forms by assumptions, generalities and superficial attributes is so prevalent, insidious and powerful that it can effectively steer politics, make enemies, change the course of history.

No two siblings are exactly alike despite sharing most, if not all, of the same genetic material (in the case of identical twins). Every brother, every sister is different, despite sharing the same parents, upbringing and culture (if not separated). Yet, leaders can still rise to power by labeling entire groups of people, even nations, as if they were all the same—easy to quantify, easy to appraise. Ironically, this is, in all likelihood, the most unifying attribute that we all have in common as humans, besides our basic physical needs: our self-centeredness, a nearly universal insistence on our own importance, a pronounced inclination to a self-serving selectivity of the “facts”, our relentless self-obsession. Ask any side of any opposing group—any side at all—and they will accuse the opposition of being blindly “self-interested” and come up with all sorts of evidence to prove this.

I observe self-centeredness in myself very often: Whenever I think of all the places that I’ve ever lived in, my home is always positioned in the center, and everything within a two or three-mile radius is the “edge” of my neighborhood. I even feel a flutter of hesitation whenever I am physically near the borders of my “territory”. Yet, I know this to be false. Even though my mind may focus only on information it deems relevant out of biological necessity, regardless if I have any conscious control over this or not—I am absolutely sure I am wrong about this. Of all the things that I am sure about, I am sure that my perception does not describe the reality, it is only my reality. To someone who lives in any neighborhood bordering mine, I am the one existing in the periphery.

Whenever I had to draw a map at school, I always started with the country I lived in: the US—the rest of the world was just a border, superfluous, an outlier. To any given person, the center of the world is wherever they are. Now imagine a world without a center. A sphere without a focal point. Can you even imagine it? All I can come close to is a spinning globe and I still have to begin with the continent I know best, North America and turn from there. It seems quite shocking that a Copernican model of the universe ever took hold at all. Thinkers and astronomers the world over had questioned the theory of an Earth-centered cosmos for thousands of years, but their doubts had always been silenced before the idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun was finally accepted as the norm (which, nonetheless, took several hundred years after its publication).

alightcirclecitylightspainted3mpbaecker

Another person’s humanity, value and complexity is as real and valid as our very own. That may seem obvious and apparent. It may seem easy to envision with a stronger imagination, or a more dynamic projection of self onto others. But nothing is a given—least of all, someone else’s existence. Our history is full of people who saw others as no more than objects, pawns, slaves, cogs in a wheel, all there just for the benefit of the few, all there just to turn a profit. And by “others”, I don’t mean just strangers or foreigners, they even objectified their very own children, spouses, kin and fellow townspeople.

Throughout my life, especially working for corporations, I have come to meet many people who assess others based on how much they stand to gain from them, how much each person can “contribute” to whatever enterprise they deem worthy. These assessors are usually the main movers and shakers of our societies, successful at amassing great power and wealth. The very strength of their self-centeredness—the very force of their unwavering focus and self-aggrandizement seems powerful enough to earn other people’s faith and allegiance. Perhaps the rationale is if they are successful at imposing their own self-interest, they will benefit everyone else’s interests too. Yet, if we insist on repeating history, we should know how poorly egoism plays out: The strong take advantage of the weak. The vast majority suffer, most of all, the poor and vulnerable.

Even language itself forces to us to have a self-centered focus. Columbus did not “discover” the New World, it existed as the one and only world for millions of other people before he even set foot on it. At the beginning of this very text, I wrote “unknown lands”, to me, certain lands are unfamiliar and therefore “unknown”, but to the people living in those places they are home. Most importantly, I deliberately used the adjectives “false” and “wrong” to describe my perception of my own neighborhood, however, there is nothing innately “bad” in self-centeredness. Right and wrong, good and bad, superior and inferior—none of these adjectives can exist independently, their very existence proves the existence of the observer, namely, the observer’s subjectivity.

There is nothing innately “wrong” about my personal perception of my own neighborhood, it would only be “false” or “wrong” if I were to expect my perception of reality to match or supersede that of someone living outside of my neighborhood. Taken to more extreme levels, this false expectation can result in tragic outcomes: racism, colonialism, sexism—these are all instances where someone in a position of power expects their perception of reality to supersede certain other people’s perception and acts to implement it. Every comparative and superlative we use is completely dependent on the viewpoint of the observer. And there is no observer who does not perceive reality with their very own subjectivity. Everything is relative.

Right and wrong, good and bad, superior and inferior are not as fixed and immutable as we often like to believe them to be, they do not exist as absolute truths in a vacuum. However, I would not go so far to say everything is a figment of the imagination and therefore meaningless. We must simply complete the symmetry of the equation: If another person’s, humanity, value and complexity is as real and valid as our very own, then our very own humanity, value and complexity is as real and valid as another person’s. If we cannot acknowledge or even try to imagine the complexity of every person’s life, what does that make of our own life? Is it then not simple, monocular, limited by its profound lack of depth and variety?

If we only have our own subjectivity with which to perceive the world, then we could, at the very least, recognize it for what it is, use it more carefully and question who it really is that we diminish, define, or empower. If we become more aware of our self-centered inclinations, we would not lose our center, we would not fall off the edge of the world. We would not lose the world at all, but gain a new one, a world more whole and sound than ever before. A world more vivid than we can even imagine. A world of infinite centers.

alightcirclecitylightspaintedmpbaecker

Text and images by M.P. Baecker ©2018.

Note:

The word “sonder” is a creation by John Koenig and he states “All words in this dictionary are new. They were not necessarily intended to be used in conversation, but to exist for their own sake; to give a semblance of order to a dark continent…” (source). But language, like culture and fashion is constantly changing, when enough people use it, it could very well be an official word someday. It is also important to note that “sonder” in the German language means special or extra.

Fittingly, the publication of this story is a result of the overwhelmingly positive response from my blogging community, whose enthusiasm prompted me to submit it to editors for review. I thank the incredibly supportive bloggers who support  my efforts! A heartfelt thanks also goes to Cheri Lucas Rowlands and Discover for sharing this story!

152 thoughts on “The Center Everywhere”

  1. I adored reading this. The words painted fleeting colors of the individuals that were ‘noticed’. I can bet that, at the time of such an epiphany, he felt much like a celebrity and a fan at the same time. A person would see him–see HIM, and then pass by. As each person is a world in of themselves, for a moment in time he was in their world and they, in his. We achieve never to think of these people again, even if an opinion develops. And that’s perfectly okay. The real goal–the best way to move through the sea of 7 billion worlds and counting, is just to see them, and know they exist.

    Thank you for the post.

    Liked by 2 people

    • What a beautiful comment! Just reading what you wrote, gives me a great rush of those feelings of ‘sonder’ once again! I especially love your last sentence, I just want to shine a bright light on it: “The real goal–the best way to move through the sea of 7 billion worlds and counting, is just to see them, and know they exist.” So lovely! Thank you!

      Like

  2. I read this in the half hour before my shift. I usually come in to the coffee shop 45 minutes before my shift and have some coffee and read something on a blog somewhere. Today it was your article. And I have to say, you described why my job is so much fun. I spend my shift wondering about the realities and complicated lives of my customers. Then I get to know my regulars and I find I was completely off in my perception. I love that.
    I’m also a writer so my job inspires stories.
    Thanks for this article!

    Liked by 2 people

    • I was so delighted to read your comment! I totally had the feeling of “sonder” reading your words as I imagined you sitting down with a coffee, reading this essay before your shift. I always wonder if I’m able to transmit my feelings, how people receive it, where they are in the moment. You transmitted your experience so well to me. It truly is a wondrous feeling, mutually reinforcing openness and observation, it’s impossible to get bored with! Thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. So well written post. Whenever I am among huge crowds, I also wonder the same thing that you mention in this post. I also wonder how every person around me has his own world, his own dreams, etc etc, just like me. If they all are so important to me, then it must be for them. I think there are so many world existing in one world. This thought has fascinated me from a long time. Yes once we understand this, then we will start respecting everyone around us. The centre then will shift, infact there will be no center at all

    Liked by 2 people

    • What a beautiful comment! Thank you!
      Like you, it thrills me to even attempt to grasp the idea of infinite worlds within this world! Some say it is impossible to let go of self-centeredness completely because it is a product of evolution, part of our nature. But we are unusual creatures. We’ve managed to split the atom, read our genetic code, touch the moon and more, I believe this “impossibility” is something we are capable of. It is endlessly fascinating.

      Like

  6. This transported me in a wonderful way to a time when I was traveling a lot as a child and passing the time waiting by making up stories about all of the lives I was witnessing. Travel may be part of why the concepts of Leary’s and RAW’s “reality tunnels”, or Korzybski’s “the map is not the territory”, were always so easy for me to understand. Well done, and thank you!

    Liked by 4 people

    • What a beautiful comment! Thank you.

      It is a feeling felt by many people. It should be in the public dialogue and popular consciousness! It would be great if “sonder” would be used in everyday language! Thanks also for mentioning “reality tunnels” and Korzybski, I would like to explore these concepts even further!

      Liked by 2 people

  7. I really enjoyed this post. We are constantly editing our history and choosing what to focus upon, think more deeply about, or ignore. Giving thought to the other perspective and critically evaluating why we think as we do is so important…

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I agree with the comments above. Your post is a very well-written, comprehensive discussion of individual reality and how a lack of awareness of our own tendency to be self-centered shuts down our ability to relate to others and experience a more universal reality for ourselves. This is a very poignant commentary for our times. Thanks so much!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks so much for your beautiful comment! It has been a long journey for me to get to this point, I was raised in a very authoritarian household and have been made all too aware of various forms of “wrongness” and trying to fit-in most of my life. But now, I am happy to say that I have let go of the desire to constantly judge other people or myself in a positive or negative light. It’s truly wondrous to try to see the world through many different perspectives and to see oneself as a part of the whole. I am so happy to share this sense of wonder with you!

      Like

    • Me too! I noticed it randomly when I was searching for something else on the internet about a year ago and I never forgot it. I wish “sonder” was a word everyone used in normal speech, nothing describes the feeling of being in a crowded place or watching people pass by better! Thanks for your comment!

      Like

  12. Thank you so much this article has been enlightening for me, you have perfectly described the great awareness emerging around the world:
    “Everyone is a center”, it is very different from saying “everyone is an individual”.
    Personally I think it’s like saying that each of us is a “place of relationships” as a center of a city.
    And this is something revolutionary.

    This completely overturns the way we think of ourselves as individuals and as a community: First we were like “the blocks of a neighborhood”, now we are “the crossroads of its streets”! … Where relationships occur …
    Am I too radical?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks so much for mentioning my essay and for your lovely comment. Your comment is profound and something I would like to explore even further. You said it so well:”we are the crossroads of its streets” and “”Everyone is a center”, it is very different from saying “everyone is an individual”.” It is not a simple thing to explain, I love this great distinction you have pointed out. We do not exist seperately. We each have this incredible quality of being multifaceted, and our self-centeredness is in constant interaction with other people’s self-centeredness. We can adapt, reject or conform to the roles other people project on us and to our own projections on them. All these things are alive and in constant interaction. Thank you so much for sharing your insights!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Pingback: The Center Everywhere – NEW URBAN SPIRIT

  14. Reblogged this on Fifth Floor, MD and commented:
    In ihrem Blog “A Light Circle” geht M.P. Baecker von dieser momenthaften Erkenntnis aus, dass all die fremden Menschen um einen herum auch alle ein ganzes eigenes Leben mit allem, was dazu gehört haben; was momenthaft ganz unglaublich erscheinen kann, und wofür das “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” das Wort “sonder” verwendet: “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own” (http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/23536922667/sonder). In ihrem lesenswerten Essay kreist Baecker um diese Beobchtung und um die Subjektivität der Wahrnehmung der Welt, in deren Zentrum man immer sich selbst setzt.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Vielen Dank! Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache, obwohl ich es sehr gerne spreche 😄! Sie haben den Text auf Deutsch sehr schön zusammengefasst (viel besser als ich könnte)! Vielleicht sollte ich einmal auf meinem Blog probieren…Vielen Dank noch mal!

      Liked by 1 person

  15. What an amazing post. I have thought of a lot of what you have written here before, not nearly as profoundly as you have, in particular that the cars going by are full of people just like me and that each of us have more in common than not.
    So glad I found this blog

    Liked by 3 people

  17. I had been far too long since i had really paid attention to WordPress, and I am thankful that this was my first post since my unwanted hibernation.
    An absolutely spellbounding piece. It riled up the dormant thinker inside me who loves these kinds of projections and suggestions, along with statements that can change the way you see the world.
    Cheers from your newest follower.
    Love,
    A stranger.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Wow! What a beautiful comment! I’ve been preoccupied with this idea of “sonder” for a long time, I love it. It is such an indescribable and yet strong, pervading feeling of being part of a much bigger, more complex whole. I was motivated to sing its praises (rather than preach), and I am so glad you found it spellbinding! Thank you so much! I’ve become a follower of yours too! Here’s love to you too stranger😘!

      Like

  18. A beautifully written piece. Loved the introspection and the maintenance of depth even in the simplicity of your writing. Especially enjoy the way you conclude, we really have all to gain from exploring our viewpoints and inclinations more often. A great perspective to have.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks so much! It means so much to me what you wrote because I put so much work on this. I found the subject of self-centeredness very difficult to write about without sounding critical or lofty, I tried to avoid this as best I could. I am so glad my efforts were successful! Your words are a great motivation to continue writing!

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Dear M.P. Thank you so much for this well thought out post – so complex and yet so easily understood. It resonated with me so completely. I haven’t been on here in quite some time, but today was looking (or I should say) ready to receive something that helped me in my self-centeredness. I am continually amazed at the different ways each person sees reality and their projections based on their own experiences. You’ve captured that thought process. So thank you for your post.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks so much for your beautiful comment! My efforts are rewarded by having readers like you! I love that feeling of richness in seeing the world through different perspectives, at the very least, in trying to, and listening to other perspectives. It is an elusive, indescribable feeling.

      I often find even the negative very inspiring too, I am also incredibly amazed when I meet someone who treats me like I was born yesterday or believes that my life can easily be quantified by what they see in front of them or what they assume. I think it must be very sad and limiting to oneself to have this narrow idea of other people or the world. I often find these people to be easily startled and confused.

      So this idea came to me from these two directions: the positive about self-centeredness, its emotional focus, self-preservation and also the negative about self-centeredness, egoism, narrow-mindedness. Balancing the two enabled me to find a voice that was more poetic (hopefully) than didactic or trite. I’m glad you like what I captured!

      Like

Comments are closed.