Mastodawn

"Who are we, what are we?"

John Locke and Joseph Conrad debated the thought. Locke argued the brain would be the most important organ in the body because awareness, and we are the brain in material form. He also points out we are more than history and experience, we are a collection of characteristics.
Joseph Conrad would question about a ship pieces being removed to build a new ship, how much of the old ship would there need to be to consider it the old ship? Same could be applied to people how many same characteristics and traits would you need to make another you?
Terrance McMahon believes there is an algorithm to recreate yourself. You could mathematically assemble enough matter, characteristics, and traits to recreate another you. The math is not far out of the realm of reason, you could do it.
I subscribe that a "copy of you" and the "real you" would share same traits but almost immediately be two different people. Every moment you grow and learn and change as a result, so you would a different person from a day ago. The changes are choices, and the choice...
wouldn't a collection of characteristics or traits. That thing within that guides is the real you, some may call it a soul, or a spark, or a collapsed version of ego or the universe. You are more than your history, experience, or defining qualities of matter or ideals...
this thing you are, it's so powerful that it can place push purpose, change direction, and fall back allowing you to enjoy life. I don't have a word for it, but that's what we are.

Softspeak Mar 8

Wuwei (無為) is a core concept in Taoism, usually translated as "non-action" or "effortless action." The idea isn't that you do nothing — it's that you stop forcing things and instead act in harmony with how things naturally want to unfold.

Imagine water. It never argues with the stone, yet given enough time, it carves canyons. It seeks the lowest place, the forgotten hollow, and in doing so, sustains all living things. It doesn't try to be powerful. It simply follows its nature.

Softspeak Mar 1

We can achieve greater control over our emotional outbursts and anger through the powerful practice of self-reflection. One of the most effective techniques is to imagine yourself from a third-person perspective, as if you're an outside observer watching your own behavior. From this detached viewpoint, study your reactions to the situations and triggers that upset you, without judgment.
When you feel that surge of emotion rising, pause. Remind yourself that your feelings are completely valid. Don't fight them or push them away, simply allow them to exist. Sit with those feelings for a moment and breathe. Take slow, long, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. This activates your body's natural calming response and gives your mind the space it needs to regain clarity.
From that calmer place, ask yourself a few honest questions: Why does this situation affect me so deeply? Is my reaction proportionate to what actually happened? What need of mine isn't being met right now? These questions aren't about self-criticism, they're about self-understanding.
Over time, this practice rewires how you respond to stress. You begin to create a gap between the trigger and your reaction, and in that gap lies your power. Emotional control isn't about suppressing how you feel. It's about choosing how you respond.
The goal isn't perfection. You will still have hard days. But with consistent self-reflection, you'll find that the outbursts become less frequent, less intense, and far less in control of you.
Progress, not perfection, that's the standard.