This was another beautiful read Thank you for sharing your journey!
As for me, I have given myself two writing prompts from this and another point to ponder:
1. What rules do I have around getting things “right”?
2. What behaviours and beliefs do I exhibit when I’m not certain I am doing things “right”?
And lastly I felt really compelled by your observation that “perfectionism kills collectivism.” It’s a tricky one that, as a high school teacher, I certainly see with younger people as they navigate the world in much more absolutes. I don’t think I’m there in how I judge/perceive others (particularly because I have such a varied group of friends and family who have very disparate views on everything from politics to creativity - not that the two aren’t inextricably linked) but I know I can often be reluctant to be too bold in my agreement or opposition to something for fear of how others may judge/perceive me.
Thank you - those are two really good questions, and the second one is something I think would really be helpful to reflect on for myself too. My perspective on "perfectionism can kill collectivism" is definitely formed from a lot of my experiences in the online space over the past few years, but also like you I recognise that I can soften my opinion on something around different people in the "real world" - I don't always think that's wrong, because I do think keeping relationships with people who hold different views is important for avoiding living in a bubble of extremes, and part of that is recognising how best to discuss a subject with different people in our lives. However, I know that I have friends who read these posts who possibly don't agree with some of my views or would just rather not think about some of the things I care about, and I notice that as I'm working towards being a better friend to myself I'm learning to keep writing and sharing what feels right to me, even though that comes with a huge amount of discomfort about how some people in my life might be judging/perceiving me as a result. Thank you for commenting as it's really interesting to reflect on that side of it all!
This was another beautiful read Thank you for sharing your journey!
As for me, I have given myself two writing prompts from this and another point to ponder:
1. What rules do I have around getting things “right”?
2. What behaviours and beliefs do I exhibit when I’m not certain I am doing things “right”?
And lastly I felt really compelled by your observation that “perfectionism kills collectivism.” It’s a tricky one that, as a high school teacher, I certainly see with younger people as they navigate the world in much more absolutes. I don’t think I’m there in how I judge/perceive others (particularly because I have such a varied group of friends and family who have very disparate views on everything from politics to creativity - not that the two aren’t inextricably linked) but I know I can often be reluctant to be too bold in my agreement or opposition to something for fear of how others may judge/perceive me.
Thank you - those are two really good questions, and the second one is something I think would really be helpful to reflect on for myself too. My perspective on "perfectionism can kill collectivism" is definitely formed from a lot of my experiences in the online space over the past few years, but also like you I recognise that I can soften my opinion on something around different people in the "real world" - I don't always think that's wrong, because I do think keeping relationships with people who hold different views is important for avoiding living in a bubble of extremes, and part of that is recognising how best to discuss a subject with different people in our lives. However, I know that I have friends who read these posts who possibly don't agree with some of my views or would just rather not think about some of the things I care about, and I notice that as I'm working towards being a better friend to myself I'm learning to keep writing and sharing what feels right to me, even though that comes with a huge amount of discomfort about how some people in my life might be judging/perceiving me as a result. Thank you for commenting as it's really interesting to reflect on that side of it all!