Race, Gender, Sexuality, Politics

Daily Meditation 539–8/18/2023

Your “identity” is more than your ID, your race, etc.

Your skin color.
Your ethnicity.
Your race.
Your gender.
Your sexual orientation.
Your social class.
Your career.
Your nationality…

Are you these things? Sure.
Are you really these?

Not really.

These are all components or attributes that make you up, but they aren’t your personality.

Smoke pot?
Well, it’s not “you.”

Gay?
Well, it’s not “you.”

Republican?
Well, it’s not “you.”

And so on.

You are your MORALS and PRINCIPLES made flesh.

And sometimes, your principles inform your life choices (sexual orientation, politics, etc.). Sometimes, the opposite can be true.

But be aware of your principles and cautious to molest them.

Your features, attributes, beliefs and so on won’t necessarily be remembered when you’re gone.
How you live and the way you act in the world are what people will remember.

“He was very fair.”
“She was a generous person, both with time and her resources.”
“He was always so honest. You could really trust him.”

They won’t necessarily remember your dedication to your job, your ethnicity, or the fact you were gay or straight.

They will remember how you acted and how you made them feel.

So remember your morals. Your principles.
Hold them dear and don’t betray them.

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These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”