Wednesday, 16 February
I wonder, sometimes, about what type of person I’d be if there was someone watching me all the time. A shadow that I could never escape from. Somebody who was there silently scrutinising my every move, my every action, my every inaction!
Would I be a nicer person? Would I give money to the people on the street? Or would I become resentful and bitter?
Would I exercise more or less? Would I eat that second row of chocolate? What about the third?
Would I fight with my partner? Would I apologise when I did?
I shouldn’t need a shadow to learn these things about myself.
thekettlehasemphysema.net 
Isn’t this shadow your inner voice? Your conscience? Always present, telling you what you should do, what you really want to do? My inner voice is constantly nagging me about exercising and rationalizing why I should go for the third row of chocolate.
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Mmm, great question, you’ve got me thinking.
I think for Nina, at least, the shadow she speaks of is distinct from her conscience. She is imagining someone outside of herself, perhaps like a friend that she respects, silently watching and judging, but never giving her the opportunity to argue her case or justify her actions.
I think the lack of voice is what distinguishes the shadow from the inner conscience, because if Nina is anything like me, the inner voice can be wrangled with, reasoned with, and ultimately overruled if it stands in the way of something I want, which is very often that third row of chocolate 🙂
Thanks for this – really appreciate the prompt.
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