Aging with Grace

Tell me who you follow and I will tell you who you are.

Andre Breton

I ran across this quote in Notes on my phone. I have everything from the garage door code to a list of books I want to read on this app. In this case, seeing this particular quote was a bit of synchronicity. I had just resigned from a group that posted something I didn’t want to be associated with. In an age when we are bombarded with multitudes of social media sites, I want to be sure anything I am connected with represents my values.

There is an old saying that birds of a feather flock together, meaning that who you chose to agree with or be with reflects the person you are. I suppose the caveat would be to think carefully about the people and ideas you choose to associate yourself with.

In some cases I’m not sure we even start out with the same ideas as the groups we become a part of. We may just be worn down over time. It’s easier to go along, to get along, to use another cliche. There are characteristics and beliefs we don’t agree with, however we are willing to trade away some of our core values to be a part of the group. It might be an infatuation with a person or a business relationship we want to maintain. Unfortunately, we are not judged by our motives when we become connected with these people or groups. Others see our name and assume this is what we believe.

Have you ever Googled your name and been amazed the amount of information that comes up about you? Anonymity is a thing of the past. It makes sense to do what you can to be sure you are represented in the way you want to be.