January 29, 2019-
As I regarded one of our young helpers this morning, I saw a physically lovely, highly intelligent, athletic and fairly industrious person, quietly reading a quality book on a rather deep subject. It came to me that THIS is why I have devoted forty-two years of my life to the well-being of young people: The development of the whole.
In the next few posts, I want to look at the concept of dimensionality. We all know that there are three dimensions, of any physical object: Height, length and width. There are also six dimensions of wellness: “The Six Dimensions of Wellness include physical, social, emotional, intellectual, occupational/financial, and spiritual wellness.” https://www.nwmissourinews.com/opinion/article_aac31352-d4bb-11e0-a3d4-0019bb30f31a.html
My concern here is with dimensions, in how we view ourselves and other people. Let us consider the idea of unidimensionality, or seeing oneself, or another, as being one-dimensional. We do this, all the time. For example, have you ever looked at a member of the opposite gender, or your own gender, and “seen” only the comeliness, or homeliness, of the person’s face or physique? Have you ever listened to a person speak, and heard only the cogency, or ignorance, of their remarks? Have you encountered a person who thinks, behaves or believes differently than you, and experienced only their statements or immediate actions? Have you viewed anyone as “strictly” or “only” an “jock”, a “nerd”, an “empty suit”, a “hottie”. Unidimensionality is rife, in today’s world. If it weren’t, people would not be so quick to judge one another.
Other people see humans as two-dimensional-either one thing or another. Someone who shows two sides is often called “bipolar” (in the days of my youth, such a person would be called “manic-depressive”). I have found few, if any, people who can be so easily typecast, in terms of fact. There are too many mitigating factors that affect people’s behaviours.
The truth is, most of us are three-dimensional beings, and then only when life circumstances suppress the development of the other three dimensions of wellness. Everyone is, at minimum, a physical, spiritual and emotional being. Everyone is, potentially, an intellectual, a social or an occupational/financial being. In fact, in both the physical and spiritual realms, there are many more dimensions- which the discipline of Quantum Mechanics lists, simply, as “infinite”.
In the next post, I will look further at the results of seeing self or others as one-, two- or three-dimensional beings and consider some of the possibilities for our species and our planet, of seeing people in a hexidimensional (6-dimensional) model.
Thanks for seeing holistically.
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It’s in my blood.
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Fascinating! I look forward to coming posts on dimensionality!
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Thank you for reading!
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I look forward to learning more, thank you.
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It’s my honour.
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Nice, Gary.
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I don’t have the intellect for it, but you should study the Kabbalah if you haven’t already. I know in classic psychology there are dimensions of people: ID, ego, superego. I don’t think it’s that simple. Some people have fluid dimensions. Some people are like rocks and show only the surface of themselves. I myself have a weak ego. I get flooded with other people all the time. Anyway, thanks for this post.
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You’re welcome for the post. Unfortunately, my familiarity with Kabbalah is tied with an adherent of that tradition who was extremely judgmental and self-absorbed. I would not be alive right now, if that person was still in my life, so I am very cautious about Kabbalah.
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