CHARACTER COUNTS

Review your activities on the Internet or at a place where people do not know you. When you are not constrained by your identity, when you interact with others while remaining anonymous, do you act differently?

Do you treat everyone with the same courtesy as you normally would? Do you become snide, cynical or sarcastic? Do you become arrogant or argumentative? Would others describe your online persona as being different from your personality in real life? If they are different, which one is closer to the real you?

Tao sages may be continuously changing in their effort to better themselves, but underneath this dynamism, there is a constant integrity that is never compromised. They are kind and gracious when playing the role of the respected teacher; they are just as kind and gracious in a setting where no one knows who they are. Whether they have anonymity or not, their true character shines with constant light.

The Tao Today

What is your concept of the ideal person you would like to become? Model it after someone you admire. How big is the gap between your real self and this idealized vision? Make a decision today to start closing the gap. If necessary, create a new online identity to start over to live with consistency. Begin approaching your ideal today.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin