Internal quads with Gists that _appear_ external

questions
#1

In one of the story embroidery videos, there’s a gist for Being…Being a Dog. I think it was maybe used as a consequence within that storyform.

Anyway, “being a dog” if taken to mean a literal canine would feel more like an external thing to me the same way having the zombie virus injected into my arm might be an external thing unless it is used specifically to refer to how one thinks…that is, unless “being a dog” specifically means being a dog in mind and not just in body.

I’m sure I am, as usual, overthinking it. But is there something I’m missing that makes physically being a dog a mental thing?

I’ve generally allowed that since a story has, or is, a Storymind, everything is technically internal to the Storymind. Things then might appear internal or external in the story (the way being a dog appears external to me) but actually be an internal problem to the Storymind (the way physically being a dog can be an internal problem to the Storymind). That seems to work as an answer, but feels way too complex and doesn’t quite close the gap. Is there an easier actual answer like physically being a dog within the Being quad just is about thinking like a dog, or being thought of as a dog? Something to that affect?

#2

I think, for me, I always have to keep in mind, “How is this a Concern? What is the conflict here?” If being transformed into a dog means, as a consequence, you’re now stuck in a cute, fuzzy body for the rest of time, then I would call that more like Universe than Psychology. On the other hand, think about the psychological aspect of being a dog: you’re a pet, stuck at the bottom of the totem pole, fed scraps and kept in your kennel. Being–Playing a Role–might seem like it’s external; after all, isn’t it the stuff you do that makes up your role? But you need to see the psychological aspect of it: “I’m not a dog, but I need to pretend to be one for the present.” Contrast that with Becoming: “Some deep, fundamental aspect of my personality is changing.”

Think about what it’s like to Be the President. Not the bill-signing or picture-taking or baby-kissing, but the part where you can say to yourself, “That’s me. I’m the President.” Or think about what it’s like to pretend to be happy when your true love gets married to someone else. Not the fake smile, not the well wishes, but the portion of your brain that says, “I’ve got to put on a good face for them.” That’s Being. And when you’re, say, bad at Being the President, or your cheerful facade cracks, you don’t change anything external; you look inside yourself. You tweak portions of your personality, or realign your priorities.

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#3

You’ve got some super helpful answers today. Thanks again. Here’s an instance where thinking of the original terminology (Being) gave my mind too broad of a scope where the newer terminology (Playing a Role) made it quite clear.

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#4

The short answer is don’t worry about it. :slight_smile: Yes, you are overthinking.

The longer answer is that this is pretty darn accurate:

If the Concern is Being, then the story is focusing on the Being part of Being a Dog – acting the part of a dog, behaving like a dog, living the life of a dog, pretending to be a dog, etc. It’s a simple as that. All of those things focus on the internal, manners of thinking as the source of conflict.

The Dog part of the gist is storytelling (but it gives you something to hold onto so you can make Being into a source of conflict).

Now imagine your kid tells you their story is about “being the greatest dogs” so you think, aha, that’s a lot like Being a Dog so it must be an OS in Being. But then you ask them more questions and it becomes apparent it’s about all the activities that dogs do, barking and jumping and agility training and whatnot.That story is most likely in Physics.

Oops, just noticed I’m cross-posted! Think it’s pretty much in agreement with what @actingpower said!

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#5

Also a good answer Mike. When I get confused, I tend to go into theory looking for answers. I should probably try to be more practical. Problem is, I’ve had that question for a while. If I had come up with it today I think it would have been simple to answer. But because I came up with it before I had what should have been the ability to answer it, it’s like it stayed hidden in one of those blind spots.

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