Precision

Have you ever noticed how in a murder mystery how precise the investigators are when they say that a person did exactly this or that, had friendships with persons that those close to them didn't even know they knew?

Perhaps our fascination with detectives and mysteries is the precision with which they can take apart and put back together the exact story of a life.

How often does our own understanding of the patterns of our life or anyone else around us, so completely elude us that we do not really know what really feeds the fires in another person, what tastes bring them to other states of consciousness, what habits make up part of their every day, yet pass unnoticed by us?

The nature of our awareness and activity seem to be vague, yet the elements of our life are precise. Detectives take relatively little time to recognize these patterns, yet we can live with other people and not know as much even though we have had years more contact and experience with the person in question.

How closely, or how well do we really ever know another person?