The child looked about him, watching with
keen impressionable eyes what the grown-ups were doing and how they were
spending the morning. Not a single detail escaped the child’s searching
attention: the picture of his home life was being indelibly stamped on his
memory; his pliable mind was nurtured on the examples before him, unconsciously
planning his own life after the pattern of the life around him.
Ivan Goncharov – Oblamov (1859)
The greater part of life is imitation. We have other names
for it such as learning, reasoning and intelligence, but at the core of it all
lies imitation. Sometimes we are almost original but the opportunity is given to us only
rarely. Free will may be real enough, but is far from being the norm.
How could things possibly be otherwise? Life would be chaotic...
Hmm...
I have 4 very young children and I am constantly aware of their watching me....makes for some interesting moments but I do try!
ReplyDeleteThud - I notice that with grandchildren. Of course when they watch and imitate others the problems can begin.
ReplyDeleteDo we have government by Oblamov these days?
ReplyDeleteOur dog does that as well, as she assumes that when I click my briefcase, I'm going out, which is correct...
ReplyDeleteDemetrius - that's how they would like it.
ReplyDeleteMichael - our dog used to watch us closely like that.