Human Entity
by Diana Friedeberg
How interesting it is to picture a human being as an entity bounded by a lipid bilayer.
Every phospholipid could represent an idea or belief that this person holds dear and lives his or her life accordingly. The formation of the membrane would have taken place during the person’s childhood and adolescence. This being the time in our lives when we are most susceptible to outside influences, whether it is values and ethics instilled by our parents or attitudes we take on from our friends and environment. As adults, our membrane becomes more rigid though still flexible and open to change trough out our lives. It's a good thing that the layer is selectively permeable because if not the hydrophobic interactions between the tails of the phospholipids would drive us crazy: a constant battle between our own thoughts without the capacity to air out. I cannot picture living a life without constantly letting go of old beliefs and allowing new ideas to enter.
My own phospholipids can be very stubborn at times, and cling to each other for dear life. I am glad that this constant regeneration happens "naturally", whether we consciously allow it or fight against it. Habits and patterns of behavior are not easy to change and being inside a hole can be comfortable if you're not aware of where you're at. Similar to Plato's idea of the shadows in the cave: if shadows are all you see then you end up thinking that they are actual objects.
A change in temperature within the vesicle/human affects the structure of the bilayers and thus permeability is also affected. I know for sure that an increase in my internal temperature, whether from anger or some form of euphoria, definitely allows certain attitudes and words to escape which wouldn't under normal conditions. When I am calm, and at ease: it is easier to assimilate my ideas and opinions.