To My Children: A Letter on Identity and Inner Power

The Trap of Chosen Identity

Throughout history, humanity's greatest tragedies have sprouted from the same poisonous root—the belief that one group stands closer to God, truth, or righteousness than another. Consider the ancient Israelites, who believed themselves uniquely chosen among all peoples. This conviction of divine favoritism, while perhaps providing comfort and cohesion, also erected walls between "us" and "them". Walls that have echoed through millennia in countless forms.

The early Christians inherited this pattern, proclaiming themselves the sole inheritors of salvation. Later, Islamic expansion carried similar certainties. Today, nationalism, political tribalism, and even secular ideologies repeat this ancient ‘mistake’: "We are the enlightened ones. We hold the truth. We are special."

But here lies the profound irony; in claiming specialness, we become ordinary. In seeking elevation above others, we diminish ourselves.

The Universal Thread

The Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius understood this when he wrote, "We were born to work together." He saw no Roman supremacy over barbarian, no emperor elevated above slave in the cosmic order. Similarly, the Buddha's insight into interconnectedness revealed that the self we so desperately protect and elevate is itself an illusion.

Even within the very scriptures that speak of chosen peoples, we find contradictions to exclusivity. The prophet Malachi asked, "Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?" Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, making a despised outsider the hero, and declared that in God's kingdom "there is neither Jew nor Gentile." He broke bread with tax collectors and Samaritans, touching lepers, honoring the faith of a Roman centurion. The Quran declares that God "made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other," not so that you may claim superiority over each other.

The Practical Wisdom of Universal Humanity

When you shed these tribal identities, something remarkable happens. Like a snake releasing its old skin, you become more flexible, more capable, more alive. Consider how identity-blindness opens doors:

In opportunity: The entrepreneur who sees only market needs, not religious boundaries, discovers customers everywhere. The scientist who pursues truth regardless of its cultural origin makes breakthrough discoveries. Consider how the Arab world once gave humanity algebra, algorithms, and the very numerals we use today, when their scholars moved freely across intellectual boundaries. Yet as religious identity hardened into exclusivity, innovation withered. Today, of the 900+ Nobel Prizes in science, fewer than five have gone to scientists from Arab nations. The lesson is stark: religious & tribal walls don't just divide people, they suffocate progress. The artist who draws from all human experience creates work that resonates across all boundaries.

In relationships: When you meet someone as simply another human being, without the filter of "Christian," "Muslim," "conservative," or "liberal," you discover the fascinating individual beneath the label. You might find your greatest teacher in the person your tribal identity told you to avoid.

In peace: Most conflicts dissolve when we remember our shared humanity. The parent across the political divide loves their children just as fiercely as you do. The person of different faith experiences the same joys, fears, and hopes that move through your own heart.

The Inner Kingdom

Ancient wisdom traditions point to the same revolutionary truth: the kingdom of heaven is within you. The power you seek, the peace you crave, the wisdom you need, all of this exists in the depths of your own being, not in external identities or group memberships.

The Tao Te Ching speaks of returning to the "uncarved block"—the original, simple nature before society's labels and expectations shaped us. Jesus spoke of becoming like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven; children who have not yet learned to divide the world into "us" and "them."

This is your true inheritance: not membership in any chosen people, but citizenship in the human family. Not special favor from the divine, but the same limitless potential that flows through every person who has ever lived.

The Practice of True Power

Here is how you tap this inner power:

First, practice radical humility. When you feel the urge to claim superiority—intellectual, moral, spiritual—pause. Remember that every person you meet knows something you don't, has experienced something you haven't, carries wisdom from angles of life you've never explored.

Second, lead with curiosity instead of certainty. The person who disagrees with you politically might reveal blind spots in your thinking. The person from a different culture might show you more effective ways of living. The person whose beliefs seem foreign might be protecting truths your tradition has forgotten.

Third, make your criterion for helping others beautifully simple: are they human and in need? Not "are they like me?" or "do they deserve it?" or "will they be grateful?" Simply: human and in need. This criterion never fails to point you toward meaningful action.

Your Unconquerable Self

Marcus Aurelius wrote, "You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." The world will try to convince you that your power comes from your group, your nation, your faith, your ideology. But these are all outside events, beyond your ultimate control.

Your true power lies in conquering yourself, i.e. your prejudices, your tribal instincts, your need to feel special at others' expense. When you master this inner territory, you become unconquerable. No election can diminish you. No criticism from other tribes can shake you. No crisis can rob you of your essential strength.

The Ripple Effect

Live this way, and you become a force for healing in a fractured world. You become what Gandhi called "the change you wish to see". Not through preaching or protesting, but through the simple radical act of treating every person as your equal in dignity, worth, and potential.

Your children's children will inherit a gentler world because you chose to see with clear eyes rather than tribal filters. You will have contributed to humanity's greatest need: not more members for this or that group, but more human beings who remember what it means to be human.

The Names I Have Given You

Notice that the names I have chosen for you speak not to earthly tribes or temporal identities, but to eternal truths that transcend all human divisions:

Rex Caius - You are a king, rejoice always. Your sovereignty comes not from any throne or title, but from the royal dignity inherent in your humanity. You need no crown to rule—rule first over yourself, and the world will recognize your natural authority.

Cosmos Nungyi - The universe is a beautiful place, and it's more beautiful without identities than any place you've been promised above the skies. Your name carries the vastness of all creation. Why limit yourself to the narrow boundaries of any single tradition when you can embrace the infinite?

Petros Ngabo - You are the rock, the shield, and within you is strength beyond comprehension. Tap into it and you will conquer the world. Your foundation is not built on the shifting sands of group membership, but on the bedrock of your own unshakeable inner nature.

These names are deliberately simple and call you to identities that no earthly power can strip away, no political change can diminish, no social upheaval can threaten. They are drawn from the now silent wisdom of ages, freed from the religious and tribal conflicts that have made other names weapons of division.

Your True Inheritance

This is my deepest wish for you --that you discover the magnificent power of your unadorned humanity, and that you use this power to heal rather than divide, to build rather than tear down, to love without condition or boundary.

The creator's greatest gift to you is not membership in any chosen people, but the capacity to choose; moment by moment, interaction by interaction; whether to respond from your highest human potential or from your smallest tribal, religious or political fears.

Choose wisely. Choose freely. Choose as the unlimited beings you truly are.

With boundless love and faith in your journey, | Daddy Evarist | December 23rd 2025

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”

— The Buddha