Aud Dialogues

I'm sitting with the Tao Te Ching, trying to dissect Chapter 7 and 8,particularly Chapter 8, which says the highest good is like water. The more I let these teachings sink in, the more something big has shifted inside me. I used to think I had to choose between two versions of myself: the quiet, go-with-the-flow person I was last year, and the more outspoken, waterfall-energy person I’m becoming this year. I would catch myself wondering, “Am I being less of myself right now?” or “Is this version more authentic?” Then it clicked. Identity, as we usually understand it, is a confining ideology. It’s a mental box we build and then desperately try to stay inside. We pick adjectives — quiet, bold, deep, fun, philosophical, chill — put them on a pedestal, and start measuring ourselves against them. The moment we step outside those chosen traits, we feel like we’re sabotaging ourselves or shrinking. But water doesn’t do this. Water doesn’t say, “Being a still lake is more me than being a r...