Our attempts at categorizing people opened up some interesting questions: Was so-and-so outgoing, or actually quite shy? Did he make a big impression at first, or grow on you later? Was there a certain kind of power in being thunder and a different one in being lightning? Which would you rather be? And why was it so easy to tell the difference? This dichotomy is a good one in part because of its ambiguity not everyone interprets it quite the same way, but everyone has a strong instinct for what each category might mean, and a sense of who might be which. Lily: thunder, though maybe she has a bit of lightning too? We discussed and debated. We knew immediately who was which: Nick and I are both lightning. One night my friend Nick and I began idly categorizing people we knew, somewhat arbitrarily, as either thunder or lightning. The game originated because my friends and I are always talking about our other friends. This is perhaps why my favorite game is called Dichotomies. Such a proposition is clearly ridiculous and, to me, deeply appealing. Or, even better: “There are only two types of people in the world.” This statement is usually followed by two binary qualities that could be used to define and divide all of humanity. When someone says to me “This is the way the world works,” I get very excited, even though of course nobody knows how the world works. I have always liked categorical statements that are obviously wrong.
Sixteenth Century Engraved sun and moon image.
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