Whilst we may view ourselves (the majority of us) as honourable citizens, are we truly aware of what we are capable of? It is all too easy to judge others for their life choices and situations they have found themselves in. We can separate ourselves from others due to their “bad” nature and I truly believe some people are “bad”. I would like to think they are unwell or deranged because it would then give reason for their inexplicable behaviour, however I am learning people often do because they can. It is as simple as that. The opportunity presents itself and they take it.
We have a point at which we can be pushed too far. After that point, there is no telling what you could do: scream out, throw objects, run away (as in go A.W.O.L), have a breakdown. Situations can bring out a part of us that we did not need even know existed. A part that has a need to protect oneself and our loved ones. The fact that we do not know ourselves as much as we think, can be rather frightening and intriguing at the same time.
Whilst at college, in the late 1990’s a man walked by and muttered something so I responded then he spat at me. However, at that point I lost all sense of who I was, where I was, what I was carrying. I ran after the man (to do what you may ask) and two passers by stopped me and held me down. I recall shouting for them to “let me go” but they held me until the man had long gone. Looking back they were a godsend as who knows what I would have done or indeed the man I ran after.
Naturally I am introverted and constantly aware of my surroundings and not making a scene. In the situation above I allowed my emotions to rule and all logic thinking went right out of the window. When a person is highly emotional, angry and hurt it is difficult to reason with them as at that moment they are completely consumed by the circumstances.
I conclude that we are capable of far more than we think we are. It is only love and grace that refrains us from being the person that we choose to judge for their way of life.
What have you said/done that is out of character? How did this make you feel?
How much do you think you know yourself?
organisedlady 
Our constant learning, meeting new people, being influenced and inspired by the world around us, plus the fact that there are virtually a million things that can happen, and you’ve got no idea what you would do then…all this is probably a constant reminder to ourselves that we never really truly know who were are and who we will be in the future.
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Yes, we are learning about ourselves daily which I find rather interesting.
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I agree with the comments above: we are constantly changing and I never feel like a know myself 100%. But the thing that is definitely true is a constant change: some things in life that would cause an aggressive reaction or stressful response some time ago at this point of time seem completely not important & not worthy to worry about
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It makes life more interesting when we realise little things about our character here and there.
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Sadly, there are way too many examples of people “acting out” in the news these days. Even sadder is the reality that many of these people are in fact revealing their true character because they now feel empowered to do so.
I’m sure I’ve acted out of character at times, but the only examples I can think of are actually experiences where I’ve acted totally in the moment to challenge myself – like jumping on a plane to the South of France with no hotel or any other arrangements just for the adventure. Then, of course, there was leaving Hawaii after most of my life and moving to a place where I knew no one, had no place to live or job lined up. Neither fit the textbook profile of an Introvert.
I’m deeply sorry you had that experience, but I have no doubt that you have used it to grow ever stronger. Wishing you all the best for the holidays and New Year!
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I enjoyed reading your experiences Marquita. Sometimes we surprise ourselves and are capable of more than we think. The incident happened 21 years ago- definitely over it now. Thanks for sympathising.
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True, we refrain us from realising what we actually are by overthinking or letting our emotions overpower us which always battles with us to put us down. Having confidence within and pushing our limits can help us realise what we are and what we deserve.
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Our emotional state is so important.
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I agree with you that we can all act out of character at times. I am sure that I have, but would have to take some time to think of an instance I’m comfortable sharing. When we are attacked–for no good reason–and react to that, it is understandable. We are human, after all. I’m sorry that man was so awful to you. People can make or break us.
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It is interesting that we never stop learning something new about ourselves. Yes, our instinct is to protect ourselves. They certainly can but then it us up to us to make the decision to move on and heal.
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