This is certainly an incomplete thought, but ...

I was trolling along through one of my favorite blogs. I'm too chicken to tell you which blog it was, but she's very witty, ballzy as hell and funny. It led me to a blog post by someone of the opposite sex ruminating over part of what the former had said.

I'm still pondering, but they both have me sitting here thinking I understand where they're both coming from, but it seems like neither of them can move past the limitations of their positions.

The first blogger is very candid about her personal life. She talks about just how she'd wipe the stupid grin off some guy's face and make sure he never forgot how badly she handed him his ass. The second blogger was saying he sympathized with wanting to do that, but he edits himself constantly for fear that desire to dominate be misconstrued as something sinister.

Something about the whole thing is bothering me and I can't put my finger on it.

These two people who seem to be travelling completely different paths and philosophies of life are essentially stuck on the same problem from opposing sides. The woman senses she can't actually do the very thing she wants to do. She'd have to go through too much trouble and manipulation to set it all up. She can't be that dishonest to finally reveal the truth in the end.

The man seems convinced being too real and being too much what he wants to be is offensive. He can't shed the façade that makes everyone else comfortable no matter how much he'd like to challenge and disprove other people's impressions.

And I don't believe either of them.

I've read through blogs where the woman pretended to be something other than the vixen she is and I'm quite confident the man has misjudged his inner strength. Maybe I judge them too harshly, but it seems highly probable that both are operating under skewed self-perceptions.

I have a theory that every time a person tries to honestly evaluate themselves on a psychological level, it's wrong and they're not being honest at all. People don't want to look at the real motivators. People believe they're generally good, right? Why would they ruin that ability to cope with everyday life by being honest about who they are deep down inside?

This woman could be as maniacally conniving as she wanted and she'd have every guy within a 50 mile radius under her thumb inside of 2 weeks. She would love it and she'd probably hold onto the position of authority for quite a while, but she's telling herself "no, that's not me."

This man more than likely simply wishes he had the guts to seize some control, some power. He wants it and he thinks he could have it all. He's telling himself "that's me, but I can't show anyone."

What's worse is I can sympathize with both. There are myriad instances where I've wanted to lash out and show people that I'm not going to be pushed around. In fact, I'm going to kick ass and take names. I end up checking myself saying "no, you don't charge in with both barrels blazing. You're too worried about the consequences." And I am. There are other times that I think "if he wasn't married I would do so many things to him ..." No I wouldn't. Who am I kidding?

What are these? These warped perceptions that plague us from both sides. Are we who we really think we are? Are we at this point on the cycle or this one? Are the proud among us fooling themselves? Are the humble being too harsh in judging their own actions?

I don't know what to do with it. I don't know how to define this person that is me ... this person who can despise a character trait and defend it in the next breath.

Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me who I am. Tell people who they are. I don't think we're up to the task.