Hope

How do you become YOURSELF? We all know the sayings that are illustrated on postcards, t-shirts, and Instagram. Be yourself! Or, to put it in the words of Coco Chanel: “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself!” – but – how to achieve it? This text by a 16-year-old philosopher, because that is what she is, clearly shows that, above all, we must learn to relate to ourselves. An art that poses many challenges and questions. But, as the experience published here demonstrates, there is HOPE!

For a long time, I lost hope in humanity. One could say that I wandered for many months, even years; and I was a person who copied others and mutated in the process. I wanted to have fun, enjoy, and have a life free of hate, but as I never achieved it, despite all my efforts, I decided not to live anymore. I was no longer MYSELF… but; who can do that?

You will never find yourself if you assume that you do not exist or that you have to search first. We find who we are within ourselves. Our Being. Much of what we do or do not do in life is a reflection of ourselves. We do not realize it, but we do things that describe who we are. It does not matter how or where, it does not matter how we talk to people or how we behave when we are alone: everything says something about us.

What we need to learn, and what is a kind of life test, is to analyze our decisions and our actions; what in the outside world seems ordinary or without further meaning. As students, we often said: What is the point of analyzing texts or poems in class? What does it bring to our lives? It may be that nowadays many stop at school or that teachers, when they explain it to us, only look at the analysis of this specific text. But in reality, the idea from the beginning was to teach students to interpret even the smallest things and to learn to read between the lines. If we practice this skill frequently, we will learn to perceive in life what cannot be seen externally. This ability to perceive what is not seen externally is not “magic,” or “witchcraft,” or “supernatural revelation.” No. If something is magical, it transcends everything that exists; then, this ability belongs to the person and their existence. Our dreams of magic, of special things we wish we could achieve, we do not need. We are “magical” ourselves: me, you, a miracle; something we have never really noticed, something that is more than chemistry or biology, more than a piece of “nature.”

For a long time, I lost hope of saving humanity, and by that, I mean the people around me, because I thought it was foolishness. But today I have realized that God has not lost hope because every second He brings another life into the world. If He has not given up, how should I give up if I am part of His hope? He sent me to my life, unique as I am, despite everything.

Everything, whether animals, people, or plants, everything is HOPE because otherwise, it would not exist or offer something that enriches our lives; a life full of miracles. Certainly, one wonders: “However, why did He create us and then leave us alone?” And this question is justified; I ask it day and night: “Why did you leave us alone, why did you leave me alone?” But I never thought that there are many things in life that we cannot explain. So, why do we need an explanation for this? After all, there is no evidence that God exists and yet we believe in Him. We love people, not just family or those who help us, and do we have an explanation for that?

Why do you love without first putting your eyes (that is, only loving those who are physically beautiful)? Or why does love hurt and heal at the same time? Example: the love between a mother and her child; there will always be a discussion in which hurtful things are said out of anger but, still, they love each other. There is no explanation for so many things, but we seek an explanation in scientifically probable things, even though they do not need it. Why do we sometimes simply not see what is obvious; for example, why does a person cry even though they seem happy? Or why do tears taste salty? We have scientifically investigated very complicated things that are very far from our day-to-day, but we cannot investigate something that happens to us often and affects us much more, like crying, or we simply do not question it. It seems so obvious that it does not need an explanation. Because it is something you feel. It is also a miracle, but it is not recognized as a miracle. When we try to describe anger or sadness only with words, we find that we can only compare it to things that are externally painful. We cannot find precise words for what is not seen with the eyes. But we feel it very clearly, like anger or sadness, and sometimes it completely wears us out. And yet, we do not bother to take a closer look, to examine WHAT is bothering us beyond. But, where do they teach us this? Even in school, where you should learn something, they let this remain completely in the background. We are rarely taught to think about ourselves and everything that IS IN US, because you simply do not see it.

Life can hurt. It does not matter how good you are or how you behave justly or want to behave. Many will not understand that this pain burns and hurts like an infinite fire inside you. But this pain can be erased and it must be erased by the person themselves. The more we look to the future, the more hate and ego increase because we only see ourselves in the movie “My life.” So, why not learn to see the world as ONE LIFE and feel empathy for others, in the HERE AND NOW? I AND THE OTHER are important. And without the I, there is no other. The only question I ask myself is, what would God do if He lived my life? Which people would He marginalize and which people would He take in His arms? What life would He build, develop, or draw? Many people can help me and I also gladly accept their help. But there are many questions that people cannot answer. And what happens at that moment if what I am considering to make a decision depends on my life? There will never be an explanation for everything, but there will be many ways to get a little closer to the answer, to feel better, more secure, and more meaningful.

Sufloon, 16 years.