February 29
Give yourself these names at last: good, reverent, truthful, prudent, equanimous, high-minded. And see to it that you are not renamed.
Meditations X.8 (freely rendered)
Listening mode
Give yourself these names at last: good, reverent, truthful, prudent, equanimous, high-minded. And see to it that you are not renamed.
Some names you're given without anyone ever saying them aloud. Among friends or at work you may count as someone uncomplicated, someone who steps in, doesn't hold grudges and makes peace with a great deal. It's kindly meant, and often it's true.
It gets difficult on the day something actually hurts you. You notice that your objection doesn't fit the picture others have of you, and perhaps no longer fits the one you adopted long ago, either. So you let it go. No one forced you. The name simply had a quiet say in the decision.
A name you give yourself works differently. It doesn't describe what you already are, but what you want to be measured against. That's why it can also contradict you. “Uncomplicated,” coming from others, means: you don't cause trouble. Equanimity, if you set it for yourself, might mean that you voice the anger without letting it drive you.
From the outside, the two look the same for a long time. You usually notice the difference only in a single sentence, one you say or swallow.
