Multiplicity

I, personally, split in the way it's always described in the books, I had an event in my life I couldn't deal with, so I split off certain aspects of it and left them there. These emotional responses to the orginal situation became fragments that were "personalised" they never really became what anyone in the Shire would call persons. Anyway, long story short, I worked on taking those emotions back into my being, I wasn't really whole, and they weren't really individuals. As for existence, well the I that was there before is different from the I that is here now. I am not the kid that carried my name, but I know her, and I know the others that came back into the Olivia that now exists. I wouldn't call who I am now an exciting blend, but maybe this was on a smaller scale. What i am now is more well, human, like the rest of the Shire. There is more contradictions and conflictions in my spirit now, things aren't so black and white. Being "human" isn't a bunch of roses and fluffy bunnies, there is more challenges, more issues, but I am glad we did it.

I admit I am a little sensitive about this, but it does annoy me when murder/death is used in relation to integration. I am not a murderer and I didn't force death onto others. If like in my personal case there was a split that was caused by some abnormal event, then it is a re integration, a coming together after a being ripped apart. I would of course feel different if someone came into our community and killed off all the other members and left me here alone. But for me there is a difference between a personalised aspect of a whole person, and different people.

Olivia, one of the Shire