In Our Minds...

In Robert Zemeckis' movie "Cast Away", Tom Hank's character is left all alone on a deserted island. He transforms himself from a city guy to one living deprived from any social interaction.
An important part of the adaptation process was him creating his own friend. It was nothing but the volleyball he had with him on the ship. That volleyball became a friend that almost cost him his life at one time during the movie, while he was trying to "save" it from drifting away from the shore of the island.

At another instant, when Chuck (Hank's charactrer) was leaving the island and woke up to find that his friend (i.e. the ball) has fallen off the raft he built he almost gave up his whole plan just to keep the ball with him.

This "thing", the volleyball which shared all that experience of isolation with him, was his only friend who he could talk to, and at times provide advice (in Chuck's head ofcourse) and much needed help. It gained life and became a soul of its own.

Ofcourse that was only a movie, but in my opinion it goes much farther! In situations when we have no friends, we are willing to go to an extreme of creating our own out of pets, or even things.

I find this interesting since it is also similar to us imposing a figure on people which does not necessarily reflect their real personalities.

Images of best friends, idols, politicians and other people we feel connected to. I believe this behavior plays a pivotal role in the life of all of us. In a way it is ironic that much of our concepts are some times (maybe a lot of the time?) nothing but illusions of our own creation.
This is starting to sound a bit budhist, I think the books I'm reading have something to do with this!!! I'll stop now...