I am more than my flesh-suit.

By "flesh-suit" I mean, of course, the muscle and tissue and bone that makes up the suit that I walk around in. You see, I do not feel defined by my flesh-suit. I am often concerned about its aches and pains and the way it looks, but that does not make it my defining characteristic.

People worry about how their cars are running and how they look because without a working car they cannot travel around. Likewise, without a working and healthy body, humans cannot get from place to place or achieve their goals.

But it is in our flesh-suits that so many problems lie in our society. If we did not define fellow human beings by their flesh-suits, we would not have racism or sexism or ableism or body shaming or so many other prevalent issues. Of course, we always note the differences in people’s flesh-suits, but I think we often forget that everyone is so much more than their flesh-suit.

I will use myself as an example. You see, there are many things that my flesh-suit, being that of a woman's, cannot do. It is a fact that because of my flesh-suit I experience certain limitations (but so does every person who is inside a flesh-suit). My flesh-suit is not particularly strong, and if I tried to do some of the physical exertions that other flesh-suits are capable of, I would fail because of the shortfalls of my flesh-suit.

I, however, am unbreakable. I do not feel limited by the limitations of my flesh-suit, because I am not my flesh-suit.

Shocking, right? Some people cling so rigidly to the idea that you are your physical incarnation. But I certainly do not feel that way. The part that is “me,” which I believe many would call a "soul," is not defined by the fact that I have female genitalia or small feet or knees that pop when I stretch in the morning. I am so much more. And everyone is more than what they are defined as by their flesh-suit.

What is it that makes you spend hours studying for that test so you can get a good grade? That is you, not your flesh-suit. What makes you able to paint amazing pictures of world? That, again, would be you. What makes you a wonderful photographer or a book-lover or good with kids or spend hours training for a competition or be dedicated to a cause you are passionate about? That is you – only you.

Your flesh-suit does not define you, and the most important things you will do come from your soul, not your flesh. The failings of your flesh do not define the strength and power of your soul – of you.

So, go ahead and tell me that because I am a woman I should try a major more suited for my gender. I will laugh and strive all the harder for what I want. Go ahead and tell me I cannot or should not do something because of my flesh-suit, and I will prove you wrong. Just you try to fit everyone into a nice little box because of their flesh. The world will laugh and carry on toward progress.

Please remember: I am more than my flesh-suit, and so is every person that lives on this earth.