Reflections on Age and Personal Perception

When people hear the word "impersonal," they often think "indifferent," "unconcerned."  As we use the word, it means "not personal" -- not taking things personally, not getting lost in our own personal thinking, not focused on ourselves, not caught up in our insecure, ego-thinking.  That means not wondering how we're doing, what people think of us, whether we look good enough, how to prove ourselves.  That means not judging ourselves, not comparing ourselves to others, not feeling bad about ourselves.  When we stop taking life personally, we are fully engaged in life, in touch with other people, and able to be responsive to the moment, rather than reactive.

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