As sentient beings, we live in a pretty ironic situation. On one hand, to survive in our painfully frenetic reality is humanely impossible without a minimum of escapism; on the other hand, we dismiss any approach to our inner life as over-thinking or being paranoid (when truly paranoia is the act of taking precautions against fears that have no real life basis).

Introspection is heavily underrated. I love thinking about my shortcomings, my projects, my reasons, because it allows me to understand what I really care about. It makes me proud to be who I am. It teaches me to expose my flawed internal narratives, and gives other people a chance to help me grow. Through introspection (a lot of it, actually) I also found a way to cope with the idea of aging and death.

Being alone inside my head can feel dreadful sometimes, but it’s through this process that I can build my own belief structures, allowing me to face and appreciate the bad and the good in life.

So back off, people who tell me I should “go with the flow” (and can’t even explain what that means). I’m not a fish, or a kite, or a leaf—I’m just a man with my feet on a stupid rock called Earth.