Peter Andersson

I once heard someone say that human nature is how we would act if we knew we would never get caught.

It sounds clever, but I completely disagree. It’s too cynical and absurd for me. I don’t like the idea of taking people out of their context, placing them in an unreasonable situation and extracting some sort of wisdom from it. With that logic, we could take a fish out of the sea and say its true nature is to flop around and gasp for air.

Perhaps our nature is better compared to dance. Rhythms have a magnetic pull on us, and it’s hard not to be affected when one moves through the room, but there are also many rules we more or less consciously adhere to. Which movements are allowed depends entirely on what kind of dance is being performed, which space the dance is taking place in, and whether we are dancing alone, with a partner, with a stranger, in a group, or with a whole ensemble. All of this influences how we move and behave toward one another.

Even my theory leaves a lot to the imagination, but at least I keep my fish beneath the surface.

Image: Peter Andersson