As I approach my 27th year, I find myself questioning: Who am I? What am I? What is my purpose? Who do I truly want to be? I quite like this identity crisis phase.
With the rise of social media and AI, everything feels too accessible. Information is everywhere—so much so that it often feels impossible to discern what’s truly important or even what’s true. One moment, ChatGPT tells me one thing, and DeepSeek tells me another. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who knows?
Circling back to my own identity, how can I be sure that my decisions are genuinely mine? Am I making choices based on what’s best for me, or am I unconsciously following what the internet or society expects of me? The sheer volume of information fed to my brain makes me feel like I’m using it less and less—because the internet seems to know it all. Everyone on social media seems to have it figured out—showing us exactly how to look, act, and live.
Spending too much time online, I feel like I’m losing my ability to think for myself, to know what I truly want. Is it really freedom if my actions are shaped by how others want me to be? How can I tell if I’m doing something for myself versus doing it for the image I want others to see?
I’ve come to accept that my environment will inevitably shape me. But it’s also freeing to realize that I get to choose what kind of environment I want to be in. And in the space I create for myself, I can be authentic.
Honestly, being myself is hard. I try to tell myself, “Who cares what people think?” But if I’m being honest, I do care. It’s absurd how the heart and mind can be at odds with each other.
So, who is this "self" I keep talking about? Is it the version of me that I want others to see, or is it something I’m truly comfortable with? I don’t really have an answer, and maybe I don’t need one. But well, I think the answer lies in keeping an open heart.
I’ve come to realize that true freedom isn’t about detaching from the world—it’s about embracing myself with honesty. Knowing that I am part of the world and the world is part of me is liberating. I exist in a space where the world serves me, and I, in turn, serve the world. When I am in touch with myself, the noise of external influences doesn't seem to matter as much. It no longer matters what the world expects of me because I am at harmony with who I am.
The confidence that comes from this is very powerful. The way people see us is, in many ways, a reflection of how we see ourselves. And when we are gentle with ourselves, who cares about the rest. To me, that is the ultimate form of freedom—the greatest gift. And perhaps, the irony is that it's within us all along.