What can change the nature of a man?

Of course, those of you who have played a certain game called Planescape: Torment have heard this question phrased multiple times. It's a rather large leitmotif in the game, a question constantly coming back in the quest of the Nameless One, struggling to not only determine his identity and past, but in a way, an answer to this question. As with many of these questions, it's not the answer that matters. The consideration, the careful weighing of factors and variables that eventually still form a question, but may lead to an answer now meaningful through explanation, is much much more important. And interesting. All the more reason to make that consideration public. While some of you will consider me a knockoff for trying to answer a question already asked, can it. It's not the asking that's important. It's the attempt at answering. And while the game certainly gives interesting answers, which are somewhat common sense, I prefer to treat this as an open question. Rather then a closed one. Or game-technical, one you answer for XP from Ravel Puzzlewell because you're in one of the main conversations in the game. Seeing this is a central theme to any character, mix and match the explanation to one of your characters, one of those which you roleplay. See how it works out.

The question automatically identifies every man has a nature. This is a given. Every person, character, or organism must have some fixture, some bearing, some point which it uses to stabilise itself in it's consciousness, or the universe. This makes sense. Invariably, one and one must be a certain number, and A and B must lead to C, or possibly forward. It might not even be C, or two, for that matter. Factors we may not be able to consider shape how we perceive this, making it nearly impossible to define this point truthfully, let alone determine what this point is. Not important. We have our point.

However important this point may be, it's invisible to us. Most won't realise this point exists, simply because it's natural to have this point, even from our earliest recollections to our last impressions. It's our way to shape and give direction to our actions, our personality, and the way in which we grow. Whether we experience a downward spiral, or a lift in our standard and method of living is calibrated to this point. The mind may protect itself from learning truths derived from our motion in relation to this point. Experiencing mentioned downward spiral may be ignored, or values may be rearranged as to allow for leeway. This is, as the definition implies, elaborate self-deception. Most things we don't wish to see are self-deception, for that matter. But we wander again.

The question at hand is what may change the nature of a man. This leads to the question what the nature of a man is. One might say it is this point. Being so central to our character, like the sun warming the earth, this is one option. However, recall your history. Understand that we once viewed the earth as being core to the universe. And understanding that is is our inner world, why not? Why can't our perception of ourself define our character? Does perception, and the base understanding that perception defines our personal reality not make that our selfperception another logical option? Both viable contestants.

As noted, the point we have to orientate ourselves is indeterminate to us. We cannot see all the factors with our limited knowledge and limited honesty. We cannot see why we chose this point, what this point means to us, and therefore, cannot understand what this point has meant to us. Nor can anyone else. This would make the nature of a man indeterminate, and therefore, make the answer to this question largely irrelevant. By losing the past, we learn nothing for the future, therefore leaving us only with a present, a one-dimensional understanding of progression, much like the point we view from. I choose to accept, for the sake of the question, that perception of ourselves, and all it's vagaries, is the definition. While we might ascribe this perception to other factors or sources, the fact we acknowledge such an elaborate, and undeniably powerful perception is enough.

Now that we've defined that our nature is based on how we view that nature, we must admit that our nature is flawed. Self-deception obviously clouds our perception. We cannot view ourselves how we are viewed by others, nor can others view us with clarity. This leads to a partial answer, at it's core. However, simply because our answer is partial does not mean it is wrong. Merely not as complete as it could be. Yet as complete as it can be.

Perception shapes our reality, both internally and externally. The nature of a man is perception, for the sake of answering this question. Now we may safely proceed to the second part. How does one change his perception of himself? Another interesting question. We may assume our perception is firmly rooted in experience, and of course, our all-powerful point. In changing perception, we redefine ourselves, and therefore, anything done before that point loses significance of some form. Our actions are no longer as relevant as we believe them to be, nor have they been. In redefining perception, we lose some part of our experience. The part that we perceived as 'meaningful'.

What may change the nature of a man? The game, at this point, without this consideration, allows certain options. Knowledge. Love. Power. Greed. Death. Life. Several others I can't recall at this time. Not that it matters. Without the consideration, these answers are platonic, and without bearing, therefore irrelevant. With the consideration, they can be considered in earnest, allowing us to phrase a more accurate and full question before answering. And we are led to a truth in light of this consideration. There are no right answers. Merely the answer you perceive as right for yourself. The answer that matters, so to say. You alone hold the key that unlocks the way in which you perceive things.

One may wonder if our possibly (and likely) flawed perception may be able to perceive that key, or even understand the significance of it. Whether the key is a matter of force, or a matter of grooves, or a matter of leverage is irrelevant; the nature of the key is to change things, with the emphasis on the 'what' and not on the 'how'. One might wonder if one discovers this key through experience, or if one merely realises that they key has been there all along, in plain sight, merely hidden from us by our perceptions themselves. This does not matter for the answer of this question, for as far as we can. We have our partial answer. Perception. What we perceive to be the main factor in our perceived nature becomes the main factor. All other answers we may derive are either personal, or relative, and therefore, largely meaningless.

Written by ~Gilan-dor. Obviously.