We’ve never seen ourselves.
At best, we’ve seen our reflection – a snapshot of what we look like, how we sound, and the way we present ourselves at a given moment in time.
But just as the map is not the territory, the representation is not the thing.
Without the ability to see our selves as the world sees us, we find our place by exploring the contours of those things we bump into.
Wherever we collide, there’s an edge. This edge gives us definition that we lack when we’re navigating without a care for our place in the wider world.
Those edges can’t encompass all we are. They couldn’t hope to. But because they’re all we have to go on, we take them to mean more than they do.
We gather these moments close to our chest and hold them tight. We take their shape as our own, believing that they’re all there is to know.
But there’s more to know than what we’ve learned.
The truth is – this self-perpetuated image is only a tool. Something to use, wield and leverage as we see fit. But not what we are.
When it’s the right tool for the job at hand, wield it. Wield it well.
And when something more is called for, set it down and provide what’s required.