She was inquisitive, and that was an admirable feature, especially in young women in this day and age, where many still considered one’s beauty to overtake brains in terms of importance. But to each their own taste, he assumed, even as he allowed her words to soak through the initial layer of his skull, words like a constantly dripping tap as it mixed with his own thoughts.
Had people thought about self-discovery in those days?
“Almost certainly,” the man replied, nodding with gentle conviction. “People have been curious about the human mind and condition since the beginning of time, I’d assume, or at least since we’ve been capable of relatively complex thought.”
Was art in and of itself not an expression of such a thing? If art were not an attempt to gain insight on the human emotions or life, then what was it truly? This conversation had certainly taken a philosophical turn, and that simple thought drew a smile across faded good looks. Although the topic shifted back to languages, his kind smile did not budge.
“I think every language has a beauty of its own, although some are more difficult to find than others,” the New Zealander commented, shrugging in slight. “That, and as native English speakers, it could be that it’s rather easy to be disenchanted with what is spoken daily.”
Ophelia nodded along in interest, fingers toying and twirling with a sugar packet on the bright plastic of the table. It was an indication of her nerves and uncertainty. These weren’t her topics, give her something technical and she could go on for hours without losing any confidence. She supposed forcing it was the only way to feel okay in the subjects she didn’t know.
“Do you think it was in the same way that we might? Some people do gap years, or they try on different versions of themselves with their outfits, hair, make up..” She paused for a moment, “Because things were stricter back then and maybe the options we take these days weren’t really acceptable. There must have been the start of psychology and all of that which is more of a technical side, but that’s not really what makes a person.”
Ophelia gave a slow nod of understanding, agreeing. “That’s true. I’m probably numb to it, like when you read a passage and it means everything, so you go back to it and the second time its still nice but its not the same and downhill from there.”
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