Most obviously is physical appearance: a result of either good or bad breeding, and something one naturally does not have control over. Fortunately for the unfortunate less aesthetically appealing, advancements in the medical field allow for tweaks to be made.
Next, one encounters personality and the perception of oneself. Depending on the person's journey and social encounters, I have only ever met two variations: extremely positive and often arrogant; or negative and hidden by a facade of personal choice - usually jubilance.
Finally, the most complex layer involving one's spirit and soul is reached. Herein lies the true essence of the being. It is where the moral roots are found and from where decisions are stemmed. Its strength - or non-existence - is amplified by age, and has various layers within the layer which remain hidden to the outside world. These are compartments containing your innermost thoughts of darkness, pain suffering and obscurity; but also gaiety. It is the most difficult to understand because it is incommunicable. Even when expressed, these complexities are of such a nature that they will never be interpreted in the same manner as you do. It is ultimately this impenetrable layer which leaves one feeling frustrated and misunderstood, as though you were a stranger - even to the person you hold most dear.
A poem which epitomises these ideas beautifully is entitled Forever Strangers by Amin Kassam:
"Each of us
is a passenger
seated in one huge
compartment
going we do not know where
all strangers
thrown together by chance
who travel without arriving;
Who can read the whispers
of your mind
when they are hidden
even from you?
Though you open a window
in the chambers of your heart
though you strive to say
what you feel
and in striving reach
a state of understanding
there is still one part
one small part
that remains your own
one part
that neither I nor anyone else
will ever penetrate.
Forever strangers.
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