Proximal To

also thinking about the body thinking about subject. physical proximity to other getting wrapped up in mental/emotional proximity to the self.

as it were.

i am thinking a lot about how we define things. that is, is it possible to define something in a vacuum? that is, not in relation to something else. no day without night pleasure without pain etc.

etc.

this is not a new idea. i just keep thinking about how we define ourselves in relation to other people, and how that varies dependant upon our actual physical proximity to those other people. are we more ourselves being close to the ones we love or being distant? are we more ourselves as a single point - one dimension - out on the grid or are we more ourselves as the confused somewhat compromised part of a line a cube a flesh and blood tree, if you will?

and the difficulty of putting thoughts about this into words. something about all of the semi-relevant terms we have: signifier, signified, referent, reference point, subject, object, place. something also about the way words are necessary in this process of defining and thus being even more trapped by relatives because you can only define words with other words. here are some pictures, then, too.