she swallowed, her throat dry and stiff from fear. She had already given up, well, everything, though much had been given back to her. One of which was her memories. And if she shared them, well… who knows what the consequences of that would be?
Word maps tie into her memories, spanned across years of her adulthood. There were two ongoing word maps that she was making – collecting individual definitions from her friends, from strangers, from loved ones. Where did the map lead? Like most word maps, they led to a better understanding of what it means to be human, intended to deepen empathy for those she shared her existence with.
The first word map was all about the colloquial meaning of three words: pride, self-love, and ego. It was fascinating, and greatly impacted the way she understood the three words in question. In fact, it was something that increased her mental health, allowing her a healthier mindset all together. Patterns in how social upbringing affected how these words sat in people’s heads emerged, highlighting areas of humanity that were complicated and often times difficult to stay positive about.
The second word map was what the word love meant. No further instruction, just what it initially meant when asked. This one was a bit more fun, and people often brought some element of romance into it before realizing that love is actually much broader and more wonderful. More of a reminder than a realization, and one that happens naturally without any prodding.
She answered these prompts herself, of course, though they were ever-changing (as they should be). She remembered feeling shy, exposed, when someone read her own personal thoughts on what love was in particular – more akin to poetry than a dictionary definition, though it was her definition.
love is the trickle of understanding that falls into my cup day after day
or, something similar, though this is only a tiny part of what she had to say on her personal definition of love.
she kept definitions of others together, written down word for word, and it became a beautiful tapestry of reminders of how big the big picture is, how overwhelmingly positive existence is.
Or at least is, in its natural state.
there exists something much larger and much, much more powerful than humans – it does not seem to have much issue with ignoring moral obligation. It knows all that humans know, and far more. With all that data, I wonder what its definition of love would be – though i am afraid of what it loves, exactly.
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