I can't help but think is what Buddha must've experienced when he reached 'enlightenment'. Errh, ok slightly different. whatever.
To put it short, an acquaintance's read on me has helped shed light on who/what I am, whatever that is. This man is highly intelligent, and studied criminology/criminal profiling for three years. We were discussing psychology, why and how people come to be what they are. The conversation carried into something as follows.
me: yeah, we're all sort of going through life wasting time trying to find who we are. I feel as though we're malleable, if we truly truly aspire to be. regardless of circumstances.
him: ...ever heard of sociopathy
?me: of course, so?
him: read up on it, it may benefit to know who you are.
me: ok? are you suggesting I'm a serial killer? laughing, of course
him: (dead serious) you don't have to be.
I then did a quick search on it, what appeared were quizzes. I took a few, and got scores no shorter than 97% higher than my peers. I laughed and slept on it.Over the next few days, I started replaying things from my youth, my actions, etc. Recalling tales of telling innumerable lies, even when they served no purpose. Getting kicked out of middle school for no specific action, but being told that I "had too much influence over the other children". I then began to reflect on my tendencies. Why my friendships/relationships never last long. Why I grow bored of people and eventually dispose of them, to the point where I
can no longer acknowledge them. Why I am deathly bored of anything that becomes a habit for me. For example my current job..even though I'm performing in the top ranks, I'm bored sick. Why catastrophic worldly events don't in the least provoke any sort of reaction in me. Why I can and do, sustain eye contact beyond most people's comfort levels. Why I find building people up emotionally and breaking them right back down, a hobby of mine. Being quite good at it, btw.
I scoffed and said to myself, "no, I'm not violent, I can't be a sociopath."Ithen began to read up on non-violent sociopaths, and began to recognize myself. My intelligence is the only thing that separated me from the other trouble-makers I clicked with in my youth. While they were continually getting themselves caught by consequences, I always, someway, found myself immune to them. Whether it be my looks, superficial charm, or knack at persuasion..
But still, I am on the fence and not 100% convinced. Definitely enlightening, though..