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What's your story? We all have them; and no two are alike. We label ourselves and create a story about who we are through our occupations, our religion, our political stances, our music choices and even by our general personality type. We cover up our true self with a bunch of nouns and adjectives in friendly conversation. We fumble though pleasantries with strangers, politely smiling and offering up idle chatter. But when do we really connect? When do we deem someone worthy of baring our soul to? At what point do the nouns & adjectives, and all the other boxes and labels we've created for ourselves, fall away? When is it okay for me to feel vulnerable with another human being?
In yoga we learn of satya, or truthfulness, as one of the Yamas, or 5 Virtues. But what is this truthfulness and how does it relate to us in our everyday life?
Although we do seem to find it necessary to communicate by describing what we do, such as an occupation, or by our personality type, "she's so optimistic", or even by our political stance, "oh, he's a Republican", let's remember that these labels are indeed not whom we really are. It is something we have made up, to appease the ego; to carry weight or pride in a conversation to impress others. But why this need? Are we not enough on our own? If no two people are alike, then what is the point of comparing ourselves against each other? We should then relax and celebrate the reality of our uniqueness.
Recognizing that these labels are just that, labels, we liberate ourselves to experience things we normally would not. Instead of saying, "I am a plumber; a wife and mother of 3. I vote Democrat. I listen to jazz music and tend to be overly optimistic." This sentence defines a person and helps us categorize them in our minds when we meet. We assign them a level of worthiness, intelligence and maturity and file it away. It allows us to further pursue a relationship and invest our time with them or not. But perhaps there is so much more to this person....perhaps she is secretly at home writing poetry in her journal, or counseling a friend through a crisis. Maybe she is a "Tina Turner" in the shower, or a "Van Gogh" in her weekend painting class.
The point is we are all so much more than we allow ourselves to be. All of these labels and boxes we create for ourselves and others mean nothing. When you leave this Earth none of your fancy labels will matter. Without these definitions we put upon ourselves, who are we? We are free to BE; and be just whomever we are in that moment. No pre-concieved ideas or judgements, just beings that can connect on a much deeper level.