Mountain Dog Pie
Years ago my brother in law was with friends, having, as I understand it, a casual conversation about those typology tests that employers have used to determine personality, work style, etc. His job at that time was in human resources and so the conversation grew out of authentic curiosity about how we "categorize" ourselves and one another, its value or risk as a feature we can use to augment our own self understanding, as well as our differences or separateness. Half jokingly, someone suggested basic questions that might "type" us more simply than those outlined in the Meyers-Briggs and Singer-Loomis personality assessments.
Here's what they came up with:
Mountain or Ocean.
Dog or Cat.
Cake or Pie.
It took about 3 seconds to "type" myself. MountainDogPie for sure!
I didn't even have to ponder it. There was definitely a little side eye from the cat lovers and ocean enthusiasts as we gathered at dinner listening to Eric recount the original event, but it was all in good fun.
But even in joking, I could sense a slightly smug tone within my clear preference for being a MOUNTAIN person (surely that makes me superior?) a DOG person (because, well of course!) and a PIE person (is it even a question?).
Though the exercise was offered in fun, it makes me think of all the ways in which we divide ourselves. Some of it entirely contrived, some of it interesting (introvert or extrovert, Vata or Kapha or Pitta, Virgo or Taurus, etc.) but its relative value is clouded by the fact that it emphasizes our differences (I am this and you are that and in that way we are not the same). In the end, I actually like cake as much as the next person, and choosing "pie" might create an instant community of other "pie" lovers, a group I can be a part of, and give me a sense of belonging, but it also sets up an (entirely made up, in this instance) otherness with those who choose "cake."
I admit this is a little bit silly, but I also feel that when we recognize our common, shared humanity, as opposed to the qualities that divide us, we work more effectively to highlight interconnectedness in a world already so marked by division.
One of the things I love about a yoga class is that we gather from our different arenas and for that hour or so we become a community, shared space and experience creating a brief refuge from the difficulties of the day. We are challenged to stay present physically through sensation that arises, and mentally challenged to stay present with what is and not get swept up in anything other than what is happening in that moment. After class we go back to our lives of course, but the shared experience enriches us and makes us more resilient to life's daily hurdles. And, whether we feel more affinity for cats vs dogs, mountain vs ocean or cake vs pie, this experiences reinforces our connection and inter-dependence.
