Your labels expire

If you were an athlete in high school, that doesn’t mean you’re still an athlete 20 years later. Your “athlete” label has expired.

If you hated mushrooms when you were a kid, you can’t say “I hate mushrooms” if you haven’t tried them in 20 years. Your “hater of mushrooms” label has expired.

You have to renew those labels. Try mushrooms again. Start running. Whatever.

Paul Graham has a classic essay called “Keep Your Identity Small” which says this:

I think what religion and politics have in common is that they become part of people’s identity, and people can never have a fruitful argument about something that’s part of their identity. By definition they’re partisan.

[…] If people can’t think clearly about anything that has become part of their identity, then all other things being equal, the best plan is to let as few things into your identity as possible.

The more you accept that your labels expire, the smaller your identity becomes. And I think that’s a good thing!