Thinking inside the box -Man in Architectural Form-

“The core of the self is a vital structure whose essence is freedom which allows man to strive for values and meaning, self-direction and self-fulfilment”1

-Søren Kierkegaard2

I constructed this sketch, “Thinking inside the box”, in order to explore the metaphysical architecture of human beings. Though the objects in my sketch may not be as symmetrical as would be considered “normal”, I have not modified it. As different individuals we do not have the right to dictate the rules of “normality”. Also as humans we cannot modify ourselves or others (and plastic surgery does not count!). We are the way we perceive ourselves. Similar to all other sublime creations of nature, humans, too, are comprised of an inner core; the most important part of one's emotional self.3

The earth's core is the most dense and stable part of its entire spherical body. “[The] Dynamo theory suggests that convection in the outer core, combined with the Coriolis effect, gives rise to the Earth's magnetic field”1. Hence, it alone stabilises the entire 510,072,000 km² ecosystem we live on and in harmony with.4

The seabed is always the darker and more hidden part of the earth’s mantle. It contains many species unknown to man which cannot be seen on the surface but still do affect the overall body of the sea. Humans also hold a number of things inside their core, unknown even to themselves sometimes. Whatever is inside may not be seen on the face of an individual but that does not detract from its impact on one's personality. 5

Also, the seabed is literally awash with different life forms; deep, fundamental and mysterious. The surface provides a base for worldly objects; ships etc. Humans, on the surface may also be obsessed with worldly possession as an act of “fitting” in with the society. The core of one, however, is fixed in such a way that even if the layers are modified, it is not affected6

Discussing matters on a smaller scale, an apple's core bears its seeds. It protects them in such a way that they cannot be consumed by us. Though a tiny arrangement when compared to that of the Earth, it is as useful for the future of apples as the earth's core is for the future of mankind. 7

The human core is extremely strong, however it is neither as simple as that of the earth nor as protective as that of the apple. Still, in my piece I kept it as basic and simple as possible, giving it the form of a cube. Contrary to the common view of the core as a sphere, I used a cube. Any stable human being needs a base; a cube has a base, a sphere does not. Also if we were made using the rules of architecture, we would be constructed in a polygonal form, not spherical. The core is represented as the most inner cube. This is also the darkest, and devoid of any ruptures, cracks or injuries. According to my perception this is the strongest part of man, hence putting forward the hypothesis that every human is able to withstand any amount of external influence or pressure due to the presence of this solid core. This core is what determines the individual's personality. A misconception, relating the strength of the core to the age of an individual may arise. This is not true. Our strengths and weaknesses do not vary in proportion to our age; it is our experiences and choices which build upon the layers that cover our core. 8

A core is only defined by the virtue of layers over it; everything with a core must have a layer. The core is what determines the dynamics and design of layers. As the layers move further away from the core, however, they begin to lose their original form due to influence of external factors. These factors are what we call “nurture”; the core is comprehended as “nature” while the layers are seen as the result of “nurture”. Due to external factors the outer layers begin to crack i.e. shatter one's true personality. In my sketch, the most outer layer is the one with the most numerous and deepest cracks, and almost as big as the page itself. An individual can have many layers, but like other conventions, if the number does not “fit” into what society conforms as normal, the “over layered” person may be regarded as 'abnormal' or 'mentally unstable'. This is due to the nature of layers, an 'over layered' being's outer layer will be extremely shattered and no matter how strong his or her core is, it is actually the outer layer which will reflect their personality to others. At this point, the core, despite its presence, has lost control over the individual. This can be compared to how gravity loses control of objects beyond a certain point of the earth's exosphere; gravity is still present but does not affect a point at such a distance. 9

However, one cannot live without any layers at all either! This will destroy the core (or whatever you would call it in that case) completely! An example could be an unborn baby i.e. the core of human beings. At this point it is not exposed to any external source, it needs to form a few of its layers inside the placenta before entering the world physically. Its layers are purely based on the mother's outer world experiences. If a baby is removed from its shelter before any of its layers have formed, it will surely perish.10

A core is important in order for us to grow as stable human beings but as it gets covered with layers we become more vulnerable to external factors. Or maybe as we become more vulnerable, our core gets covered with more layers. After all, it is our own outlook and response to situations that determines the growth of our layers. We can assume from this that an individual with the least number of layers will be the one most familiar with their core. A difference in touch and sense arises here; we are always in touch with our core but we can only sense it in the absence of obstacles. However, decreasing number of layers will increase the chances of exposing the core to external factors and no layers will result in its destruction. 11

Here, a confusion arises; if one says that the core is the strongest part of one;s being, and increasing the number of layers has a negative affect on one's personality, we can conclude that one must work towards destroying the layers covering him/her. However, we have also discussed how an unprotected core will self destruct, in this case layers are necessary for human beings. Presence of layers pose a threat to stability of one's personality but the absence of layers pose a threat to one's existence. I think now I know what balance means, but how do you attain it? How do you stop covering yourself with layers to hide from reality? And how do you stop yourself from being exposed to reality so brutally? How do you know that you have formed an optimum number of layers and it is time to stop? Well, layers was just an example I used to help me understand us, but I really cannot count them on me, now can I? You wont know how deep you need to dig to sense your core, and again, digging too deep might result in getting lost inside your own self. Hence, man continues the journey to seek his true self (inner core) in vain.