Thoughts on thought …

The Essence Within

It’s remarkable how one article—among the countless pieces of noise and chatter—can strike a chord deep enough to awaken your soul. The one I stumbled across recently was by George Orwell, who wrote about the importance of holding onto your essence—your truest self—in a world that constantly asks you to shrink, adapt, and conform.

His words reminded me that no matter how disconnected or alone we feel, it’s this inner essence that lights the path ahead. Not the approval of others. Not the noise of society. Just the quiet, enduring flame within.

Loneliness, after all, isn’t just the absence of people—it’s the absence of connection. What we really long for is to be seen—for someone to understand the language of our soul, to grasp our quirks, our private dreams, and the subtle intricacies that make up our inner world. When that doesn’t happen, it feels like a canyon opens between who we are and the world we inhabit.

Finding a piece of writing that resonates like that is rare. Like stumbling upon a diamond buried deep in the dust. I’ll often spend days with it, turning it over in my mind, absorbing its weight and meaning.

There are times I think seriously about pulling away from social media and the digital world entirely. But then something like this finds its way through the noise, and I stay. Maybe I should’ve read more books when I was younger, but as they say—you're never too old to learn the truth, especially when that truth reveals something about who you are.

I often wonder if this mode of reflection—this deeper resonance—is switched off in most people, maybe because it would stir up discomfort they’d rather avoid. Maybe it’s easier to stay asleep.

The outside world is a circus. A stage of drama and inflated egos. For years, I reacted to it—another ego clashing with the chaos outside. But lately, the constant onslaught of fear-driven content just wears me down. It’s all designed to provoke reaction, to keep us tethered to anxiety and distraction.

Now, I try to respond differently. I sort through what I see—interested or not interested—based not on the external stimulus but on how it sits with my essence. If a post triggers the ego, I let it pass. If it sparks alignment, I might stay a while. The noise fades. What matters becomes clearer.

Time feels more precious these days. I’m less inclined to spend it wrapped in other people’s battles, dramas I have no stake in. It's like living in the past or waiting for a future that never arrives. In the end, it’s only our essence—our connection to self—that endures. That presence we carry quietly, which never asks for attention, but never leaves us either.

And maybe, just maybe, being misunderstood by the world is part of the path toward finally understanding ourselves. It teaches us to stand in our truth, even when it's unpopular. To find peace in solitude. To nurture the quiet parts that often go unacknowledged. And perhaps one day, when the timing is right, the connections that truly see us will arrive—effortlessly and without need.

I’m beginning to see that the more we invest in the material world, the further we drift from the self. And the further we drift, the harder it becomes to return. From a spiritual lens, maybe this is the ancient battle between light and darkness. Between staying true to the soul—or trading it for the illusion of success, validation, comfort.

If we really are fragments of something divine—what some call God—then maybe the journey home is simply the return to that light. No matter how long it takes. No matter how many lives it takes. The path remains.

Thank you for reading.