People are not just individuals with personalities, beliefs, and habits. They are also expressions of a way to live. Every person you encounter offers a glimpse into a method of being. Some people live fast and loud. Others live slow and careful. Some seek control, others surrender to spontaneity. Each approach reveals something about how a human can choose to be in the world.
This idea reframes how we understand others. Instead of judging people for what they are, we can observe them for how they live. A miser teaches restraint. A dreamer shows the power of imagination. A disciplinarian reflects structure. A wanderer reveals freedom. People do not just have philosophies. They are philosophies in motion.
This also means that people can be mirrors or maps. When you spend time with someone, their way of being rubs off on you, if only a little. Their cadence becomes familiar. Their approach to challenges, relationships, and uncertainty leaves a subtle imprint. They show you what is possible, what is dangerous, what is comforting, or what is liberating.
Some people operate like systems of logic. Others operate like bursts of emotion. Some live based on strict codes. Others shift with each moment’s wind. These methods are not right or wrong, but they each offer consequences. The gentle often attract peace. The bold often spark conflict and growth. The hesitant avoid harm, but sometimes miss opportunity. Every method has its cost and reward.
Understanding this allows for deeper compassion. You stop asking why someone is like that and start seeing what their way of being is solving for them. Their control might be a response to past chaos. Their silence might be their refuge. Their drive might be fueled by fear or longing. Their ease might be hard-won acceptance.
It also invites personal growth. If a person is a method, then you can adopt, study, or release methods as needed. You can learn someone’s patience, practice someone’s boldness, or try on someone’s cheerfulness like a new coat. Not because you want to become them, but because they carry access to traits you may need in your own life.
In this sense, people are not only companions or strangers. They are examples of how to be. Watching them closely, we begin to see not just their behaviors but the deeper methods behind them. And by doing so, we become more aware of the methods we’ve unconsciously adopted ourselves.
Everyone you meet shows you a version of how to be human. The question is not just whether you like them. The question is whether their method of being helps you live better, or reminds you of how you don’t want to live. Either way, you learn. Either way, they are a method.
