Going Through Some Sh*t // Variant Perception #57

Life happens in the present. Not in your diagnosis.

Between deep belly laughs at a comedy show this week, Brian Simpson, the comedian, brilliantly outlined a profound observation about modern life: the fundamental way we talk about personal struggles has shifted in a single generation.

Brian shared when someone struggled in the past, we'd simply say "they're going through some shit." Simple, easy, clean. Today, we've developed a more precise vocabulary: "I have with anxiety," “I’m traumatized,” or "I’m neurodivergent."

The impacts of this change are dramatic.

The language we choose doesn't just describe our reality. It creates it. And when we change the language we use we change how we interact with reality.

Language shapes more than our words. It shapes our sense of possibility. "Going through something" implies movement, transition, another side. It's the language of journeys, suggesting that our current state, however difficult, is temporary. This was the wisdom of previous generations: life flows, changes, transforms.

Modern labels offer different gifts. When we say "I have anxiety" or "I'm neurodivergent," we name our experience with precision. These labels create clarity and validation of an individual's experience. They help us understand ourselves and find others who share our struggles.

Yet both approaches, when taken to extremes, become traps.

The vagueness of "going through something" can become a sophisticated form of bypass. It future-casts us out of the present moment, away from the real work of understanding. Meanwhile, our modern labels, while clarifying, risk becoming cages. We can find ourselves identified with our challenges rather than moving through them.

The path forward isn't choosing between these approaches, but integrating their wisdom.

Labels like "I have anxiety" or "I am depressed" anchor people in a fixed identity. These identity-based labels take past experiences and crystallize them into permanent features of who someone is. It's like taking a snapshot of your past struggles and declaring "this is me forever."

Meanwhile, vague generalizations like "they're going through something" skip over the present reality and project into an imagined future where everything will be fine. It bypasses dealing with what's actually happening right now by promising eventual resolution without engaging with the current challenge.

Choosing either path, however, is a false dichotomy. The real power lies in transcending this false choice between precision and possibility. Modern labels give us a map to understand where we are, while the wisdom of "going through something" reminds us that no map can capture the full territory of human experience. We need both: the clarity to name our current reality and the wisdom to know these names are temporary shelters, not permanent homes.

When we integrate both perspectives, we gain something profound: the ability to be precisely where we are while remaining open to where we're going. We can honor our struggles with clear language while remembering that language itself is fluid, changing as we change.

After all, the deepest truth might be that we're not just "going through something" or "dealing with anxiety" we're engaged in the most sacred, beautiful dance we know, life. And living, by its nature, means evolving with new words, new maps, and new ways of understanding ourselves.

The words we choose creates the reality we inhabit. Choose words that both ground you in truth and lift you toward possibility.

Stay growing,

-Jared