A young woman is walking down a street in downtown Portland. She is five-foot, three inches and has just come from school. Having received anexemplary score on her last exam, she is nearly skipping down the street. She feels as though she is swelling with pride and light as a feather. Anyone else on the street will also know that she feels this way, for they will see her as a six-foot-four-inch girl who is leaping down the sidewalk as though her personal gravity has been lowered.
   As this girl passes by an outdoor café, a middle-aged man watches her. He gloomily thinks about the recent argument he had with his wife, and as he remembers the harsh words that were spoken, his normally six-foot frame shrinks to five feet. In this world, emotions alter a person's physical appearance.
   People in our world use expressions such as "pressed for time" and "stiff with fear" to exaggerate their emotions. In this world, those expressions are real and accurate descriptions of human feelings.
   As a result of the physical demonstration of feelings, people are much more honest about their feelings. Nobody can hide their sadness behind a smile, for the change in their stature is enough to give their true feelings away. Because a person's appearance changes from day to day with their moods, people in this world worry less about their physical appearance. Since one's moods and personality affect it, a positive disposition is each person's goal. A person with a normally cheerful nature is more physically attractive that a person with a pessimistic attitude.
   Suppose you are given a choice. You may either travel to Mount Hood and ski, or you may travel to the Gorge and wind surf. You enjoy both activities,and you are equally talented at both of them, but you may only choose one. Or can you do both? In this world, your body can divide into two equal halves and go two separate ways. Of course, the problem with this is that you only have half a body to work with, therefore it is not a very logical way to live.
   When relating to each other, it is easy to tell who is in control of the relationship, for the dominant party is taller, heavier, and generally larger. The dominated person is small, shrunken, and lightweight. This principle is somewhat noticeable in personal relationships, but is demonstrated most clearly in men of power, such as government officials. When a dictator towers over his people, it is not merely because he has control over their lives. It is because he has grown to a superhuman size.

© Copyright 2000 Allison Calhoun

All rights reserved.
For permission to reproduce this, please contact her by clicking on the above link.

Links: