see me OR leave me .

"I am an invisible man. No, i am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe; nor am i one of your Hollywood ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids- and i might even be said to posess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me ... when they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination- indeed everything and anything except me." - Excerpt from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man .

Although he wrote this prologue ... extremely high off of weed, Ellison makes a complicated, but strong point . I always have trouble dealing with men who see me as they want to see me . they want to mold me into their convenient boxes - goody two shoes, Black girl, "red-bone", headstrong, skinny chick ...blah-zay-blah-zay-blah . They see everything around me: my car & school - then a mask is painted on me . My past relationships, devastation, and pain - a new mask is placed on my face. They see their insecurities, jealousy, strengths and weaknesses in me- and then my INNER MOST ME ... is disregarded . It seems that they want to put all of my traits into a blender and simplify who i am. It's impossible . the core of who we are is rarely seen - our ability to love, the things that make us tick, all of the moods we shift in and out of, our intellectual limitations, our morale, our God manicured souls ... that, my friends, is being seen .

Does anyone ever feel like Ellison? Or is it just me? Either way, read that book - it will change your life .