on the radial ontology
within a human's branch cross-section
let all the stories
in which the human is currently involved
be lit in blue
but some of these stories are still unconscious
so if the person would deny it
leave that blue
but if they'd recognise it
promote it to green
and if they occasionally notice that story
on their own
(eg when reminded by another's storytelling)
promote that to yellow
and if they know it so well
they'd mention it, if asked
promote it to red
so at any moment
we have a spectrum of awareness
of the stories we're living out
and as we mature
that spectrum shifts gradually
towards the red
and stories about ourselves
that we thought we understood
are revealed to have deeper layers
now an artist
writing an autobiography
is tasked with winnowing just those events
that most efficiently and effectively
convey the range of their lifestories
and the process of their growth
which may mean selecting
a small set of story themes
and returning to them
at successive ages
to show how their awareness evolved
and how it was quickened
or slowed
by the group-awareness of their society
see especially James Joyce
"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"
