""When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." ~Lao Tzu For many years, I was deeply involved in spiritual communities-satsangs, meditation centers, ashrams, and groups focused on positivity, service, and personal growth. These places gave me comfort, community, and a sense of purpose. But they also shaped something inside me that I didn't fully recognize until much later: I had built my self-worth around being a "good person.""
"On the surface, it sounds harmless. Who doesn't want to be good, kind, and helpful? But looking back, I see how the pressure I put on myself-and the pressure I felt from others-slowly became a source of stress, guilt, and confusion. And it all became clear during one unexpected moment. The Day My Good Person Identity Broke Open A meditation center I attended was hosting a visiting sage from India."
For many years the narrator was deeply involved in spiritual communities such as satsangs, meditation centers, ashrams, and groups focused on positivity, service, and personal growth. Those communities provided comfort, community, and a sense of purpose. The narrator built self-worth around being a "good person," which gradually created pressure, guilt, and confusion. Seva, or volunteer service, was described as service from the heart rather than obligation. At a visiting sage event, a fellow worker became upset that the narrator and spouse were not volunteering enough, raised his voice, and tried to guilt them, provoking a defensive reaction and a deeper self-questioning.
Read at Tiny Buddha
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