Being in constant contact with a vast amount of information, we often fail to notice which part of it has already "settled" inside. At some point, you can get confused about where you are among all this flow: where your opinion is and whether you are living your own life. How to distinguish between "yours" and "someone else's" is what we will explore together with Yani Esh, a writer in the genre of "philosophical fiction."
Not long ago, the main source of information for many of us was the opinions of relatives, TV, and newspapers. Now, however, content often becomes outdated faster than we can learn about it. The flow of information is constantly growing, testing our ability to filter it every second. And this is more difficult than it seems, as the voice of the information field does not appear hostile. More often, it resembles a confidential conversation with an old friend or the wise advice of an experienced person. We often do not notice how we absorb someone else's opinion and begin to live by new rules.
But it is possible to resist this influence. It is important to be sensitive to what is happening and to your inner voice, to develop logic, and to be able to look at the world from different perspectives without fear and prejudice. Let’s explore several ways that can help separate your opinion from the imposed one and live your own life.
1. Gain Knowledge
At first, you don’t understand why you need to study integrals in school, as they won’t help you pay the utility bills or pass a job interview. But later, when the quantity of knowledge begins to transform into quality, the volume of those tiny patterns that you involuntarily notice around you grows. First, you thoroughly understand the basic scientific disciplines, and then you transfer this habit to any task you undertake.
Instead of automatically consuming content, you begin to intuitively sense logical inconsistencies and subtly veiled manipulations in the speech of the information field when it tries to teach you something once again.
2. Express Your Opinion in Your Territory
Such a place can be your apartment, a circle of like-minded people, a Word document, or even notes on your phone. This is a lifesaving island amid a sea of "raging sharks" ready to tear apart for their truth. Constantly swimming among them, you can start to believe that this is your truth too. And then wonder why everything inside you rebels against this life. But as long as you express your opinion in your safe territory: you hear, know, and remember it, you don’t have to fear losing yourself.
3. “Touch” Art
No one feels changes in the world as timely as artists. Wise writers, artists, bloggers, and directors “ride” on the same information waves as we do. Through their works, we learn to look at the world from different angles, through the prism of their unique experiences. Reading, watching, and thinking alongside the geniuses of art is a true gift for oneself in terms of increasing resilience.
4. Know the Goals of Your Actions
One of the simplest ways to get lost is to get stuck in a routine. Of course, each of us has our reasons for doing what we do, but one thing often falls out of attention. Namely — the goal.
You can start a task with the aim of pleasing your parents or proving something to yourself, and a year later, you might not even understand what the point is. Finding yourself in the same place where you started, inside a wheel spinning idly.
In such a state, we become a true magnet for any information, which is unrestrained because all reference points are lost. That’s why it’s so important to make it a habit to ask yourself: why am I doing this? For what purpose?
5. Trust Your Intuition
If only we knew how many answers are already within us, how important it is to listen to ourselves! When we were told as children: “Oh, stop, you’re just imagining things,” we involuntarily began to push our intuition to the background. And that’s a pity. Perhaps, if you feel that your favorite blogger has started talking nonsense, you are not imagining it at all. The ability to trust yourself is an important tool in the fight against imposed values.
