084— The Identity Trap

Inner Circle ⭕

📚 Buy the Book → East Branch: Six Years On a Catskill Trout Stream

Fly fishing takes up most of my vacation days. I haven’t taken a trip that wasn’t centered around it since my twenties.

What draws me in is its sense of permanence.

Fish behave the same way they always have. They did before I was born and will long after I am gone.

Nothing essential about the game changes. Fancy rods and modern gear do not alter how fish move or respond. Each encounter might feel new, but the core remains the same.

There is comfort in that kind of consistency.

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Patterns and People

Human behavior moves across a wide and often unpredictable spectrum, unlike the steady patterns seen in nature.

Adapting takes time, but it’s the constant mental recalibration that drains most. Constantly recalibrating to shifting personalities, expectations, and moods can become exhausting.

A life shaped entirely by the perceptions and expectations of others eventually becomes unsustainable.