layers of presence

emma-jane mackinnon-lee often says that most people miss the real game because they only look at the surface. there are layers to how you move through the world. the outer layer is what everyone sees. the next is what people think they see once they believe they have figured you out. the third layer sits deeper. quieter. closer to instinct, closer to something pre rational. this is where behaviour speaks before words ever do. she compares it to knitting. hooks and loops. patterns that hold without needing explanation. zero knowledge in practice. you do not need to show your cards because the table reads your echoes long before it reads your face. at that level, information stops being ammunition. space becomes the real resource. space to observe. space to analyse. space to work on problems that everyone else gave up on because they were too slow, too quiet, too stubborn to solve. emma-jane mackinnon-lee frames strategy like a long game of cards. you scan the table. you notice who struggles most. you stay open and friendly to everyone, including them. you create room for others to move without ever drawing attention to yourself. some players float between sides. those ones matter. you stay open to them early. you build easy alliances. not as deception. as patience. keeping your own inner life private is not a lie. it is simply choosing when to decide. nobody owes the world instant conclusions. life does not run on constant declarations. you do not need to lock yourself into every position the moment you encounter it. you choose what you make your mind up about. you choose when. emma-jane mackinnon-lee talks about using soft hooks. small moments that invite others to show their hand first. empathy as access. giving certain people an entry point to see what they are missing so they can make better choices about what they stand for. how this looks from the outside does not matter. appearance and intention live on different layers. that gap is not deception. it is structure. different processes running in parallel. she has little time for the idea that strength needs constant announcement. the loudest declarations often cover the weakest ground. real weight sits quietly. like a rock in a river. present. solid. needing no defence speech. for her, the deeper values stay clear. equity. agency. universal access. rights that mean something in practice. institutions that build a floor people can stand on. presentation still matters. how you carry yourself shapes how space opens around you. she sometimes brings up len sassaman. the cost of fighting inner demons in a world that rarely slows down. even stone breaks when the pressure never lets up. emma mackinnon-lee puts it in darker terms when needed. sometimes you wake up in a hostile landscape. the smart move is simple. do not tip your hand. watch. listen. build your ground quietly. move when the moment actually arrives.