Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Puzzled!

If you dabble In jigsaw puzzles, like I do, you'll realize that there's a method to the madness. There's a logical way in which illogical pieces come together to form the larger picture.

The reason I mention it is because I realized midway between one that this logic applied to life itself. It seems to me that all of us are pieces of a colossal puzzle waiting to come together. Or maybe there are multiple puzzles and finding one's own puzzle adds to the, challenge.

This would explain why some people find their groove before most. Let me explain.

The easiest pieces to discern in a puzzle are the corners. Once you find these, it's just a matter of finding out which end fits where. Top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. These pieces are plain on two axis, like the people they represent who are mostly plain or 'sorted' on two plains. Their variable lies on only two sides. These are the guys you went to college with who pretty much knew where they were headed. It was just a matter of time before they found themselves.

Then come the sides. Once again these are easy to find. They happen to be sorted completely on one plain and variable in three. Still, they are easy to put together. It takes these sorts a little time to find their place in the larger scheme, but it happens with a minimum of experimentation.

Then come the tougher ones, the ones in the middle. These are the slightly more complicated ones. You can find their places with reference to the ones on the sides, but they are tougher to put together. They struggle through life for a while before they eventually find their place.

Among these too you can find different sorts.

The ones with protrusions on all four sides. These are the type 'A' personalities. They don't make allowances for anyone and want others to accommodate them. They seem easier to put together and you reach out for them in the box, because they scream for attention due to their dominant shape.

Next are the ones with protrusions on three sides and a void in one. They are sure about what they want, but often need the dominant side of one to complete them and make them whole.

The two-protrusion ones are often the more balanced of the lot. They give as much as they get. Filling others, while also taking an equal portion of another. These are the couples you see who in life seem to be poles apart, but somehow seem to get along perfectly.

The one-protrusion ones are the more complex ones. The ones with a mad streak, often brought about by the voids in them. Their insecurity drives them to be wild on one side of their personality. These are the women who want their navel pierced in their 30s or guys who buy a motorcycle in middle-age.

And then come the all-voids. These are the ones who have no dominant sides and can be led, mostly by more dominant parts. You'll often find them clinging to the handles of four different parts of other people's personalty. They are the ones who no-one has anything bad to say about. The people's person.

And then come the stragglers. These could be any of the five sorts mentioned before, but even so, make no sense till the puzzle is almost done.

My problem is that my part in this puzzle, is a puzzle to me.