(Originally posted July, 2010)
There are plenty of people in this world and just like each one of us has our own set of unique fingerprints, we also have our own patterns of thinking and acting that belong only to us as well. In simpler terms, there are several core personality types, or nine Ennegrams of Personality as they are mysteriously called by some. Derived from the Greek words ennea, meaning nine, and grammos, meaning something drawn, these nine personalities can be given their own number and point and be scribbled on a piece of paper to make a star like geometric pattern inside of a circle to illustrate how each type is connected to the other. That's really necessary because it makes the ennegram better resemble the star of David, (giving it more spiritual weight) while making it all so much easier to understand too, right?
Well, call me crazy but, I tend to like to draw on PEOPLE when thinking about say, PERSONALITY. Using The Office for a reference point: There's The Reformer (Michael Scott and Jo), The Helper (Dwight Schrute), The Achiever (Jim, Ryan,and Dwight), The Investigator (Dwight again, he's complicated), The Loyalist (Ryan, Andy, and Phyllis), The Enthusiast (Erin and Kelly), The Challenger (Stanley and Meredith), The Peacemaker (Toby and Pam) and last, but not least The Individualist (Creed). If you're not familiar with The Office, then just substitute in any other television ensemble, they all seem to follow similar character maps. A few types are missing, though I'm sure Grumpy, Sneezy,and especially Dopey all have their place in psychology too.
But that Individualist... they really stand out from the crowd. (I know, very weak but given that it's 103 degrees out and there are a bunch of noisy boys 10 and under trying to bounce a ping pong ball into a cup just like beer pong sans the frat party around me, it's a wonder my brain can concentrate at all.) Anyways, according to Don Riso and Russ Hudson, the authors of Ennegram of Personality, this type are not all eccentric in a whacked out and scary way like the aforementioned creep who may or may not have killed someone. More typically, they are very deep, emotionally expressive people, with intimate instincts who intensely want to connect to the world and those around them in a real and meaningful way. Often misunderstood and prone to depression, they can sometimes withdraw into their own worlds which only serves to make them all the more unique; a trait they prefer to embody anyways.
Maybe that's why my husband and I was so touched by Adam Duritz, the lead singer of the Counting Crows. Yes, most of their songs are almost all drowning in melancholy, and yes he does seem to be figuratively and literally teetering on the edge at times, but his heartfelt presence will blow you away and make you want to console him with a hug at the same time.
I've seen my share of concerts in my 36 years and his performance was like no other I've ever seen. Usually the lead singer seems to be on autopilot, going through the motions, singing their hits yet one more time, pacing the stage end to end, so that everyone can see and following the same contrived script, but Duritz is refreshingly different. It feels as if he's telling you a new story as he goes along, interjecting alternative lyrics or splicing other songs into the mix in a way that catches the band off guard and makes the crowd hang on every word to see just where he'll go next. Most of the time, you're not quite sure if he's slightly unstable or not but it doesn't matter. The truths that he touches on are real and anyone that can actually make an audience feel something,(or forget about how their bladder is going to hold out for 2 more hours),is pretty damn remarkable in my blog. See for yourself...
(Excuse the sub par camera footage. It was the first song and we had to maneuver around Big Foot in front of us. Better videos, Coppola caliber, are coming soon to You Tube.)
YouTube - Counting Crows Universal Studios-Round Here
No comments:
Post a Comment