Being Human

The Meaning of Independence

When people hear the word independence, they often picture rebellion. A teenager slamming the bedroom door. A lone wolf snarling at the pack. A hermit cut off from the world. But that’s not the independence I mean. Independence is not defiance for its own sake, nor is it isolation from others. True independence is subtler and more profound: it is the dignity of authorship over your one and only life.

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The Long Road to Selfhood

We live in a culture addicted to quick answers. “Find your true self.” “Unlock your destiny.” “Discover who you are.” As if identity were a hidden treasure chest waiting to be unearthed in one glorious moment of revelation. But selfhood doesn’t arrive like lightning. It unfolds like a long, winding road. There are detours, false starts, switchbacks, and stretches where the scenery seems to repeat itself. Becoming ourselves is not about one defining moment but a lifetime of becoming.

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Why We Try

Why do we try? Why do we get up each morning, set goals, chase dreams, fight through setbacks, and reach again for more? The cynical answer is survival. We try because we must: food to eat, bills to pay, routines to maintain. But survival is only the foundation. Beyond necessity lies something deeper: a hunger for meaning, a desire to expand, a refusal to let existence slip by unnoticed. Trying is more than survival. It is gratitude in motion.

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The Weight of Expectations

We all know the feeling. Expectations press in like a fog, filling our head with shoulds and musts. A grade, a job title, a social standing. One misstep feels catastrophic, as if the whole life we’ve imagined will implode. Sometimes the cost of those expectations is devastating.

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Follow Your Fascination

There are a million ideas out there about what to do with your life. Your parents have one. So do your friends, your boss, your culture. They’ll tell you what’s smart. What’s responsible. What’s impressive. But if you want a compass that points to something truly yours, try this one: follow your fascination.

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What Is Life Savor?

Life is precious, but we often don’t think of it that way.We take life for granted because it has always been with us and we have never known a time without it.In reality, life—especially human life—is the most rare and precious of privileges.

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The Progress Trap

I love making progress, but sometimes I get too caught up in it.Progress helps me achieve a sense of traction in life, giving me a daily trickle of both saline and champagne. When I make progress, I feel empowered, fulfilled and secure because I feel like I’m perpetually ratcheting up.Sometimes, though, my fixation on progress becomes unhealthy, almost like a drug addiction.

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woman looking at sea while sitting on beach

Managing Expectations

Expectation primes us to be disappointed if things don’t work out exactly as planned. In reality, life rarely goes exactly as planned (especially when others are involved), and progress is often necessarily slow and uncertain.Furthermore, expectations make us pre-live what we think our experiences should be to the point of leaving us emotionally fatigued, bored and disappointed by the time the results of our goals become real.

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