In any moment, we are who we choose to be, and for only that moment
Once you label me you negate me – Søren Aabye Kierkegaard
Absolute thinking has done as much as anything to destroy our character and integrity in modern times. I’m referring to the black and white, divisive lens we sometimes view our world through. We constantly judge ourselves and others, and decide we are either good or bad, right or wrong, happy or sad. In reality, we are a blank canvas from moment to moment, and we change who we are and what we do millions of times in our life. One moment we’re “good”, the next moment we’re “bad”. We can look at the overall pattern of “good” moments versus “bad”, and decide if we are headed in the right direction, but we can never be “good” or “bad”.
I’m “good” because I went to the gym yesterday , and ate completely healthy. But wait, I slipped today and ate that one bag of Skittles, I’m “baaaaaaaddd”. But what about tomorrow, when I go to the gym again , and eat completely healthy again? Am I still bad, am I good, what am I?!? I am Sean, and I am a person who commits acts that are “good” and “bad”. In any given moment, I am who I choose to be.
What’s my point? Absolute thinking destroys our ability to be who we want to be as groups and individuals. And when we use it to hold other people to their past behavior (often in the form of judgment), we all but squash any chance for redemption.
Doing the right thing (sometimes, it’s a two part process)
Moments of error will always happen, because we are humans and we are fallible; but our character shines through when we let it. When we evaluate what to do in the next moment, and take action. When we realize we’ve had a momentary lapse of integrity, what do we do next to make things right? We are not “good” or “bad” people, we are people. Our impact on the world is not determined by how few mistakes we make, but by what we do when we realize we’ve made a mistake. Do we label ourselves as “bad”, “failure”, “terrible person”, allow the mistake to go unreconciled, and start making more of those mistakes because we tell ourselves “that is who we are”? Or, do we remember our true nature, get back on our path, and reconcile the mistake we made?
Our true power, comes from our ability to re-invent ourselves in any moment. To be who we want to be, and create the change we want to see, we must drop the labels and set ourselves free.
Share your moment of freedom with me
When did you last amaze yourself with a moment of freedom? A moment in which you found yourself doing something you never would have believed you could. How did you give yourself that freedom? What did you create as a result?
