My Cartesian split

Descartes and Merleau-Ponty  are messing with my head and I think I am suffering from some sort of cartesian split.  After writing  last weeks post and fumbling through Descarte  and  Merleau-Ponty this week, (and a LOT less of the latter)  it occurs to me I suffer a body split when I hear the various responses listed last week.  I simply do not see myself the way some others perceive me.

I've heard that 'old' is 15 years older than you currently are.  With that logic,  I think I'm 15 years younger than I actually am.  But people see me as my age, or, god forbid, older.  My perception of me is in-congruent  with their perception of me.  But what does this mean?  That I am supposed to be behaving a certain way?  Following a certain path?  Doing certain things?  I don't want to.  Those things don't fit right. I don't want to be the person that others see me as, unless it is who I actually am, or who I want to be.

This is part of the struggle of my Transitions blog - growing, changing and improving.  This requires shifting not only my own perception of me, but surrounding myself with people who support that perception.  If there is a conflict there, I need to figure out how to deflect or ignore it, so that it doesn't impede my shift.  Reading these and other philosophers, it confirms for me why I only want positive perceptions in my space and time.

Now I just need to figure out how to combat negativity.  Or do I?