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Who Are We Without Others?
Can you define yourself as an individual?
I, as most of us do, define ourselves by roles.
I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a teacher. All of these roles rely on having a reciprocal. We often decide our worth by how we feel we measure up to others in these roles…or how we perceive ourselves measuring up to what we believe others expect of us.
As Joshua Becker says:
When you compare yourself to others you have nothing to gain, but much to lose such as your pride, your dignity, your drive, and your passion.
So, what if we remove these roles, these comparisons? Who are we then?
I’ve recently spent time pondering this. I am doleful and critical of myself when I feel I don’t measure up. “I’m not a good enough wife, mother, friend…”. Not good enough is ingrained in my brain. Even as a child, I felt this way when I was the target at school for taunting and derision. My thoughts: if I were cool enough or pretty enough, I wouldn’t be their target.
