The weight we choose to carry
I'm articulate in meetings, efficient in emails, and engaging in casual conversations. But when a colleague asked today if I was good, I realized I had no words to express what was happening inside me.
After three months of work that has dominated my life, I feel as though everything is a personal failure.
In my exhausted mind, all of these have become personal indictments: the slow recovery of my sight, the nagging feeling that my work isn't ambitious enough, the rise of the far-right in parliament.
This tendency to shoulder blame for things beyond our control is a peculiar form of hubris. It is negligent to ignore the problems in the world. After all, the little I can do can still make a difference.
But is it fair to blame yourself for all those problems to solve?
Perhaps the real answer to "Are you good?" lies somewhere between total responsibility and complete surrender. It's about acknowledging our limitations while honoring our capacity to care, to act, and to make a difference — even when we're not at our best.