To Think Is To Be

No, this quote isn't a copy of René Descartes's principal, "I think, therefore I am." Yes, I came up with this myself before I read that.

With that out of the way, let's come to the point of discussion. What makes us, us? What defines the uniqueness of each person's existence? What sets apart each human's life? Some common first guesses would be our life experiences, livelihood, tangible possessions, or physical characteristics.

But in my humble, out of touch with reality, and unqualified opinion, it's our thoughts, our thinking.

A phrase that is thrown out a lot these days is "Escape the matrix." The first thing that comes to mind upon hearing that, particularly due to the stupid YouTube shorts and Instagram reels, is that we need to stop binge watching Netflix, doom scrolling on social media apps, consuming processed food, and start to hustle and grind to break out of poverty and make a large sum of money just so you can buy the latest Lamborghini or Tesla, own a couple of mansions, get escorted by models everywhere, and wear designer clothes.

So much for escaping the matrix.

I don't blame anyone for thinking like that. With the rise of figures like Andrew Tate and the constant bombardment and consumption of digital media designed to induce the inherent desires of personal power, freedom, and influence, it's no-brainer that this type of mentality will prevail in the youth's minds.

The origin of this phrase comes from the movie "The Matrix," where it has a completely different interpretation. It was meant to push you to break out of the programming that's loaded into you from the moment you are born, to the point where you are actually able to think consciously and formulate your own set of thoughts and principles. Every person and experience in between that time period molded, shaped, and hammered you within the walls of a confinement. And a large number of people are never able to look beyond those walls, forever trapped in them.

If you have never, for once, thought for yourself, "Who am I and what do I live by?" and died living a life of working, paying bills, and raising another generation within the same inherited confinement, did you even live?

That initial programming is like an armor and a mini sword a standard recruit knight in the medieval ages would be given once he's ready to be set out for the battlefield. But to fight battles a little hefty, you need a long sword or a mace and a shield, and that is something you have to craft and build for yourself, and if your head is underneath a 5-pound helmet and your body is weighed down by hefty armor, you can't build shit. And that is why you need to shed all of that stuff down, spend some time in the hellfire of the battle, scavenge, loot, and figure your own way out to get the right gear that actually suits you and is tailored according to who you ARE, so you can go on and take the harder fights that others will duck from.

In my mind, this analogy sounded wayyyy smarter, but never mind.

Think. Let the thoughts that you actually own define your existence. Figure out your morals. Figure out your principles. Figure out your why. Live life with a purpose. That can be something as small as "I am going to better the lives of people around me" or as big as "I am going to end poverty in the world." But live for something.

Try indulging in things that resonate with your inner self. Let your pain flourish your passion. Craft your weapon, then live by it and die by it. Because that's when you will actually. have. lived.

Keep in mind, however, that you can and will still fall. There will come times when your weapon breaks, your mind will fall back to the safe walls of confinement, your heart will ache from things that aren't under your control, and you will get bruised, scarred, and brought to your knees, but at least that pain will mean something because you took a stand for something you personally believed in.

Even from an Islamic perspective, if Allah has given you the ability to think, eyes to read, ears to hear, mouth to read, and started his conversation in Quran with "Read," is it not unfair that you still don't come up with something on your own for yourself? That you don't try to become a force of good in this world? That you don't try to stop the cycles of generational trauma, abuse, and injustice? That you don't try to cheer up the world around you?

Pay attention to the word "try" above, though. Because at the end, you are a mere human, and not every venture leads to success.

But with trying your best comes no regrets. And what's a better way to die than to die with no regrets?