You’re a Junk Drawer of a Human

Daily Meditation 485–6/25/2023

This is the photographic equivalent of your personality, beliefs, and views.

Someone disliking some element of your character or person is not an attack on you.

Not everything you do needs affirmation or adoration from others — in fact, to some people, everything you stand for may be abhorrent.

And that’s fine.
In fact, that’s normal.

This doesn’t mean we need to go forth into society and the world giving everyone the Italian Salute for not “approving” of 100% of who we are. Far from it.

It is fine for people to disagree with some of our choices and aspects of us.

That’s compartmentalization.

And, what’s more, we should take such an approach with others!

“I know you to be a sweet, kind, thoughtful and well-studied person. I’ve seen how you dedicate your time to giving back to your community through volunteerism. You’re a doting spouse and parent, as well. But, despite these things, to me personally, I disagree with (some of) your political views.”

And the important afterthought:

“and these choices — though I disagree with some of them — don’t shade my overall opinion of you as a whole person.”

Because that’s the beauty of humanity:

We are all the personality, philosophic, religious, ideologic, and character equivalent of every home’s “junk drawer.”

A rag-tag conglomeration of our past, our education, our “traumas” and experiences, our culture, our religions, and families combine like so many rubber bands, forgotten-use keys, paperclips, tape rolls, and thumbtacks in the junk drawer.

So why do we treat one another as if the one element — a religion, a political view, a diet — means the whole person is a throw-away?

You wouldn’t throw out your entire novel for misspelling a single word.
So, don’t throw out another human just for them having a single differentiation from you and your perceptions.

Because that’s the only difference — perception.

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