The Multiplicity That is You

I just got done watching the movie Multiplicity.
It is an older movie that stars Michael Keaton.
If you are unfamiliar with it, he plays someone
who is overwhelmed with responsibilities and
wants to find more time. He happens to find a
person who is able to clone him.

As a result he clones himself two times. There
is a third clone that comes along, as well, but
I won't go into the details. In addition, if you
are not one for spoilers you may not want to
read the rest of what I am about to write,
although I am not sure I will be spilling too
much.

The reason I mention this film is a couple of
reasons. At one point in the film the "real"
one of him, Doug, asks a version of himself
if he thought his wife preferred him to the
original. The copy explains to him that they
are the same person, so how could that be
possible.

In actuality, the versions that come along
rather than being duplicates, seem to skew
toward a certain part of his personality.
While it is still "him," it is many ways
just a piece of him. It made me think
about how we all have different parts to us.
And these different parts play their role in
the context of the greater whole.

While we don't have a whole other us who is
that person, it may at times seem as though
we do, and those parts, even when they do
their best, sometimes need the whole of us
to succeed. There is a part of the movie in
which Doug loses his job because of how the
clones/parts of him react. Had he actually
have been there, things may not have occurred
the way that they did. The clones also have
a situation with his wife that also has her
leave. She unknowingly has run ins with the
clones, so she is often left wondering who
he is, and if he knows what he wants - as
there are conflicting things that are said
and done.

In some ways he begins by abandoning parts
of his life only to to discover later that
by embracing the pieces of his life,
complications and all, and by acting on
the things that he had been neglecting, he
can be content with what he has.

Perhaps it is "just" a movie, and life isn't
as "neat" as all that. However there is
something to be said for acknowledging the
bigger picture and the role that the
individual elements play within it.

I often see people struggle with themselves,
and it is difficult for them to make all of
their pieces fit in peace. Part of making
that happen is to understand the position
of the parts, and what is important to them,
and then work together for the greater whole
of who you are.

Just like any relationship, it may not be
an easy or smooth ride, but it is one that
can be navigated successfully, especially
if the right questions are asked.

Whatever is important to you is likely to be
important to the greater whole of who you
are. Battles can be fought and won, but
wouldn't it be better to just come to some
sort of agreement that works for the whole
of who you are? The agreement will save a
lot more than just some energy. Fights of
any kind are often counterproductive, and
the environment will take you a lot longer
to get to where you are going. In addition,
the defeated sometimes come back to fight
another day.

Perhaps some friction is helpful. A pearl
is made from creating friction within a
clam. Fire can be created from two sticks
being rubbed together. So I am not saying
that we should do without. But what I am
saying is that there are sometimes more
things to consider than we are sometimes
aware of and once we become aware, our
field of possibilities expands and we may
find a different way to approach the
dilemmas we face.

By facing who we are and acknowledging our
various selves instead of trying to hold
them captive in some way, we can help
ourselves embrace them, or help them move on
when the time is right. After all, every
part of us does have a role to play that
helps us to see something about ourselves
that we can potentially learn from, if we
allow ourselves to. Perhaps there is
something we need to recognize and by
having a part that calls our attention to
it - even if in an uncomfortable way - we
get to appreciate something that we may
never would have otherwise.

Even though the clones were annoying at
times, in the end Doug seems to recognize
the value of what they have brought to
him, and it would seem that he was able
to move forward because of the seemingly
chaotic help they provided.

In the end, all the parts of you are indeed
you, and you can fight them, or you can find
the thing that they are looking to share with
you and in some way absorb it, or get what
you can from it, and let it go.

Sometimes it is easier with someone else
involved who can help you give voice to
those things. If you need help, I might
be able to do just that. :)

Have a great night.

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