A Spark by Innocent Mwatsikesimbe from The Vision, chapter 54
“Even though I am constantly changing, I still know myself more than anyone can claim to know me.”
by Innocent Mwatsikesimbe — from The Vision, chapter 54
The walk-through
What people say you are and what you know you are are two different things. Said aloud or not, their opinion can never accurately define you or change who you truly are. Innocent didn’t always live that way — for years other people’s views mattered more than was healthy for him, and a bad word left him mad and bothered.
Growing up settled it. You change constantly and still know yourself better than anyone can claim to. Both opinions count, he says: “One helps you avoid useless conceit and the other enables self-actualization.” How much weight each one carries is something you decide, and he gives his own the greater share.
That’s what makes criticism bearable without making it useless. You can hear something unkind or inaccurate, learn what’s in it, and just move on. It let him tell apart “opinions that build a person up from those that hurt a person” — one of the most liberating shifts he’s made.
AI-composed from Innocent's text, reviewed and refined by Innocent.
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