Jen Takeda

A bit of background behind the new series I am working on titled “The Human Conglomerate.”

The people that surround us have a profound effect on who we are. This can be seen in very basic genetic terms (i.e. we resemble our parents), to the more abstract terms created by environment, as well as the grey area in between. 

The idea behind “The Human Conglomerate” is that a vast number of people all come together, each with their own effect, and help shape us into who and what we become. Each serve a purpose, no matter how big or small this is. I don’t think of this as a religious type of thing, like when people say “God has a plan for everyone,” but if one chooses to see it this way, that is not wrong or stupid, it’s just a different point of view. However, I do find that recognizing the effect certain people have over you is an extremely powerful piece of knowledge. That is what this new series examines; individuals who make up my own human conglomerate and their role in my state of being. 

Learn who is truly important to you. This may be hard to see, as we tend to think the people who have been there the longest are the most powerful people in our lives. Though this is often true, there are usually big exceptions. Some of the people who have changed me the most were there only for a brief time. The most powerful seem to be those chance encounters, seemingly random, but almost perfect in their timing. We all have those people that show up at just the right moment, and leave in a similar fashion.

One specific person stands out in my mind, and probably in yours as you are reading this. Oddly enough, for me this is a person that I have not had an in-depth conversation with for over a year. This person is my muse, he doesn’t do much at all, but things happen once he appears. Maybe it sounds crazy, but if I believe this is happening, and can see when this has happened, who can say that I am wrong? In recognizing this person’s effect on my life, I can work better with what I know he will bring, and this same concept can be applied to any of the people in my life. This applies to all of you as well, and alerting people to this is what “The Human Conglomerate” is all about.