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Ruwando PodcastArchetypal Psychology, Masculinity, and the Game of Life Author: Ruwando
Archetypal masculinity, relationship polarity, practical philosophy and stuff. With Ruwan Meepagala and sometimes guests. ruwando.substack.com Language: en Genres: Education, Relationships, Self-Improvement, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Myth of Identity: Resetting Who You Are | 143
Episode 143
Wednesday, 23 September, 2026
"I don’t know who I am anymore.”“Who said you need to know who you are?”My friend Patrick and I had this dialogue four years ago while he was realizing a big transformation. He was letting go of an identity that wasn’t serving him anymore.And despite it being a wanted change, it was scary.Who was he if not all the (mostly undesirable) traits that had become so familiar?Four years later, I find myself asking the same questions.My book published last fall. It took 13 years to complete. I started writing it around the same time I began working personal development. Publishing it felt like the completion of a certain identity.It felt weird.I actually thought I was depressed for a minute.But rather, I realized it was the mark of letting go of my past and starting something new…I listened to a podcast recently about an Amazonian tribe where, at any time, a person could change their name and restart their entire identity. Anytime someone experienced something they didn’t like, they just changed their name. Any actions of their past had to live in the past.Seems crazy to us “civilized” folk.But as absurd as it seems, it’s actually closer to what identity really is…A total abstraction.A fiction we use to tie us to a past and project our future.Sometimes its useful. Sometimes it traps us. Often both at different times.This episode is one of my most listened to on Insight Timer. I gave it a re-listen recently and thought its relevant to share.References Robert Lifton’s work on brainwashing, some of my clients’ transformations, and more. I have a backlog of episodes coming out soon. Enjoy and stay tuned. Get full access to Ruwando Substack at ruwando.substack.com/subscribe
