I’ve been thinking a lot about the quality of connection you feel around someone who has stripped away the shallow layers of their identity and the quiet second-order effects that follow.
If you pay close enough attention, you’ll quickly notice how often people use externals as a substitute for substance.
This usually takes the form of borrowed dogmas & convenient truths, accepted without much reasoning, a skill nearly everyone claims to master, yet almost no one actually practices.
When you meet someone who doesn’t use those labels to feel complete, the dynamic changes–the interaction suddenly feels different… fresh. These are the people who hold opinions lightly, aren’t afraid of being wrong, and never show up with an agenda.
Presence like that cascades. It bypasses the performance and leaves a mark on the actual self underneath. In the end, who we are is just the composite of the rare, honest moments & experiences.
Which leads to the obvious question: what happens once we’ve absorbed the essence of the people closest to us?
The only rational answer that I can come up with after thorough observation is that we radiate it outward.
We project it through subtle mannerisms, small gestures, core values but most importantly, a uniquely curated worldview—a personal remix of everyone who has ever interacted in a meaningful way with us.
That mix eventually collides with someone else, setting off an entirely new chain of influence.
None of this happens on autopilot. Starting this chain requires deliberate, unglamorous effort: strip away external labels, ground yourself in true virtue, and engage candidly.
Authenticity is what gives the ripple its force. Carry enough of it, and you end up influencing people you will never meet.
And I think there is a quiet beauty in that.