What we do versus who we are...

After only getting to talk to Ryan, my brother, twice since Christmas when we were home in Idaho it was so good to talk to him for 50 minutes yesterday. We had some solid connection time. It was grast because we could identify with each other on the majority of topics that came up. A stress we very much both identified win was how the pursuit of higher education is so self-focused. Your life is wrapped up in yourself studying, tests, grades, competing with ones classmates, feelings of not being smart enough, not doing well enough, constantly critiquing oneself, and comparing yourself to what is around you that is "what you should" strive for. And the result flows over into our professions after the academic part is complete. Look at society around us. And see how people identify themselves. Their identity is in what they do. Their profession, their job. I meet a stranger while waiting in line at Costco, introduce myself, and then ask "What do you do?"  It's engrained in us.  Ryan shared with me how he had recently heard the phrase "achievement generates self-worth." How true is that? How hard do we have to fight against that? Hiking at Virgin Falls several weeks ago Uncle George asked my friend Tim Jordan to "tell me about yourself, who you are but don't tell me what you do (your job)." Try to get to know someone without immediately asking what they do... Try to describe who you are... It's tough to do but so needed.