Our identities shape our choices and actions, often trapping us in familiar but limiting patterns. As old beliefs unravel, we are called to simplify and embrace authenticity, recognizing that true wholeness and fulfillment lie beyond the transient and controllable aspects of life.
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What we identify with shapes our reality. Every decision we make is influenced by our experiences, values, and cultural conditioning. Stepping into the unfamiliar can feel terrifying because it challenges our comfort zones and exposes us to the fear of losing control. This is our reality bubble: a self-contained world where we live, often disconnected from others, no matter how much we empathize with or relate to them.
As creators of our lives, resisting change keeps us tethered to familiar patterns. These well-worn identities — like old, comfortable clothes — offer a sense of safety but often perpetuate suffering. We journey onward, uncertain and unsettled, unable to escape ourselves. To cope, we craft carefully curated presentations: versions of ourselves that meet social expectations while concealing deeper truths.
In time, upheaval becomes inevitable. Competing thoughts, emotions, and motivations can leave us stuck in survival mode, drained by the effort to maintain control. But perhaps it’s time to examine the attachments that hold us back. Life calls us to simplify, for living authentically demands that we let go of what no longer serves us and embrace what feels, and is, real.
Wholeness and fulfillment aren’t found in clinging to old identities. By shedding the layers we’ve outgrown, we create space for the truth of who we are to emerge — free, unburdened, and fully alive.
Vero nihil veri
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“Substance” from Fleshwound