W
hen you take a step back and look at the people around you in the world, there are a million different tiny aspects to take note of. Something that’s always bewildered me is the ability for someone to seem like one type person one day, and then an entirely different person the next. Dissociative identity disorder, what many refer to as multiple personality disorder, is similar to this. However, we’re not all crazy; at least, I hope not. We just have many different facets to our personalities, with some parts that come out more often than others.
Another aspect of human psychology that we could dig into a little bit is the idea that beauty is only temporary. We take pictures all throughout our lives to remember something that’s just going to eventually fade away. However, there always seems to be a million more photos of you as a chubby-cheeked little princess than there are of you as a gothic tween brat. As we grow, we wrinkle. Time goes on, and beauty begins to fade into the creases around our mouths.
Although beauty is temporary, it’s also unique. All humans have similarities, but there are so many aspects of each individual’s personality that it is impossible to truly compare one person to the next.
We are all different. We are all from different mothers and fathers and born into different environments, different races, different classes. Some of us even have the same names, but in the end, those are just words on paper. It’s beautiful to see the differences if you’re able to appreciate them.
In many ways, we are ice.
On the first snow of the year, people’s eyes glimmer with joy as they begin to bundle up and pull out their heavy-duty snow boots, even if there’s only a measly inch of snow on the ground. The snow is graceful as it floats to the ground and beautiful as it coats the world in a layer of white.
But give it a few months. Wait for after the holidays, as the temperatures drop further into the negative. Cute hats and mittens turn into hefty snow gear and thick layers of clothing. As the cold penetrates every aspect of life in winter, the mesmerizing snow begins to turn into a sheet of cold, black ice. Frozen, dark, dangerous. We decide what we think of the snow when we wake up in the morning. We decide if we’re ready and excited for the adventure into a white wonderland.
Or we decide if the cold is digging a little too deep into our bones, making us wish we never had to leave the house in the first place. Snow, like humans, has many facets.
Or take a look at the concept of snow carving and snow sculptures. Here, we create these magnificent pieces of art. Clear, sparkling in the light, glistening as it just begins to melt. It’s beautiful in its prime, but it’s temporary. We take pictures of snow sculptures to remember them after the fact, much like the way we take pictures of people to retain memories and the beauty of the moment.
Although the life of a snowflake is short-lived, those cute little specks floating down from the sky are all very different from one another. Shapes and patterns, none of which look exactly the same, but each as beautiful and intricate as the next.
If you ever catch a snowflake on your glove, in such a way that it does not melt, look close and you’ll see the unique patterns that symbolize the similarities between simple little snowflakes and complicated, diverse human personalities.
While we clearly aren’t actually little sprinkles of ice cascading down from the sky, we still share a likeness with our snowy friend. In the face of winter, you’re left to decide: Are you in the mood to bask in the beauty of a layer of white, or would you much rather stay inside and wait for it to all melt away?