mcshane on Nostr: Your ego, religion, sexual preferences, race, ethnicity, trauma, triggers, ...

Your ego, religion, sexual preferences, race, ethnicity, trauma, triggers, comparative disadvantages, financial status, the expressions of your limbic system, the work of others. All traits of the human identity & experience, but none of these on their own are likely to be your legacy, nor do they qualify as economic labor or provide value in and of themselves to a community. Rather, these traits may help inform what makes your work uniquely yours.

Societies & governments around the world seem to be uplifting these personal traits as work itself, activism, the virtuous pursuit of (retreat into) self, a triumph of identity expression, an imaginary economy of validation reciprocity, self affirmation, the passing or cancellation of others, no merit-based competition or work required. Career oppression olympians. The hard part is over, we were wronged, we heal now. Self indulgence and soft edged world at the cost of all rational thought and proof of work. An insular, disconnected society of languishing but validated(!) egos… This social self indulgence is not a viable mode of labor. It doesn’t contribute economically to a community. It‘s an incomplete approach to work & life.

We’re all here together.

Your open mind, your inner resources, your consistent daily efforts despite all competition are only part of the equation. That extra 1%, the compounding effects of those efforts, your mistakes, your redirections and, importantly, your relationships, your collaborations & communities serviced, these proofs of work matter. These are areas of unending work. The proof of work of your soul. How do you solve problems with others? This will be your legacy. What are you building? With whom? This is how you work at improving your life, that of your family, your community, the world.