🌑 Now I Have Neither Happiness nor Unhappiness. Everything Passes.

🌑 Now I Have Neither Happiness nor Unhappiness. Everything Passes. – Osamu Dazai

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in between?

Not joyful, not sorrowful. Just… existing.
That strange state where the highs don’t lift you, and the lows don’t crush you. Osamu Dazai captures this hauntingly well:

“Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness. Everything passes.”

It feels almost empty—yet profoundly freeing. Let’s explore why.

🔄 The Flow of Time: Nothing Lasts Forever

Dazai reminds us that both happiness and unhappiness are temporary. The joy you’re clinging to? It fades. The pain you’re drowning in? It too passes.

This isn’t pessimism—it’s perspective. Life isn’t meant to be held onto; it’s meant to be experienced, moment by moment.

📌 Real-life example:

• Remember when exams felt like the end of the world? Yet, months later, they became a faint memory.

• Or when heartbreak seemed unbearable? Years later, it’s just a story you tell.

Everything passes. Always.

🧘 Stoic Echo: Equanimity is Power

The Stoics, like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, taught the same lesson centuries before Dazai: true peace lies not in chasing joy or avoiding sorrow, but in transcending both.

• Happiness is sweet but fleeting.

• Unhappiness is bitter but fleeting.

• Equanimity—calm acceptance—is eternal.

When you realize everything passes, you stop fighting reality. Instead, you flow with it.

💡 Action Steps: Living with "Everything Passes"

Here’s how you can apply this mindset today:

1. Pause before reacting. When you’re angry, remind yourself: this too will pass.

2. Savor without clinging. When you’re happy, enjoy it fully—but don’t demand it lasts forever.

3. Journal daily. Write down one joy and one worry. Revisit them weeks later—you’ll see how both faded.

4. Practice gratitude. Even in neutrality, there’s beauty—like breathing, or simply being alive.

🌌 A Modern Take: Neutral Doesn’t Mean Empty

Many fear neutrality because it feels like “nothingness.” But neutrality can actually be freedom.

• No chains of clinging to joy.

• No prison of resisting pain.

• Just the flow of existence.

📌 Think of the ocean.
Waves rise (happiness), waves fall (unhappiness), but the deep sea remains calm and steady. You can live like that—deep, steady, unshaken.

✨ Key Lesson: Let It Pass, Let Yourself Be

Osamu Dazai wasn’t glorifying emptiness—he was whispering a truth we often ignore: peace is found when you stop fighting the impermanence of life.

Instead of asking, “How can I stay happy forever?” ask, “How can I remain at peace no matter what comes?”

That’s where true freedom lies.

#OsamuDazai #StoicShelf #EverythingPasses #Stoicism #Impermanence #PhilosophyOfLife #MentalPeace #Mindfulness #SelfImprovement #DailyStoic

Can You remember Who You Were Before the World Told You Who You Should Be?

Can You remember Who You Were Before the World Told You Who You Should Be?
Charles Bukowski

From the moment we enter this world, society begins shaping us. Parents tell us to be “good.” Teachers push us toward “respectable” careers. Friends, media, and culture all place us inside invisible boxes.

But the haunting question remains:

“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?”

This isn’t just a poetic reflection—it’s the cornerstone of self-discovery, authenticity, and Stoic philosophy.

🧠 The Deep Meaning Behind the Question

This thought invites us to reconnect with our authentic self—the raw, unfiltered version of us untouched by society’s labels.

• As children, we were explorers, creators, and dreamers.

• But as adults, we often trade authenticity for acceptance, success, and survival.

• Society rewards conformity, but our soul yearns for freedom, originality, and meaning.

This conflict creates inner emptiness—a life where you appear successful on the outside but feel hollow inside.

💡 Real-Life Examples: When the World Redefines Us

1. The Artist Who Stopped Painting 🎨 ➝ 📊
   A young girl once filled pages with color. But as she grew, she was told “art doesn’t pay bills.” Today, she works in a corporate cubicle, her creativity locked away.

2. The Dreamer Who Became “Practical” 🌙 ➝ ☀️
   A boy wanted to be an astronaut. But family insisted on “job security.” Now, he works in a bank, living safely but never passionately.

3. The Authentic Self Traded for Social Media Image 📱
   Many people shape their lives for Instagram or TikTok—curating perfect versions of themselves. But when the camera is off, they struggle with loneliness and identity confusion.

4. Philosophers Who Faced the Same Conflict

• Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, wrestled with duty vs. inner peace.

• Nietzsche warned against becoming a copy of the herd.

• Socrates chose death over living against his truth, reminding us that a life unexamined is not worth living.

🔑 How to Reconnect With Your True Self

Here’s a step-by-step Stoic-inspired blueprint to remember who you truly are:

1. Silence the Noise (Digital Detox & Solitude)

Turn off social media, switch off the constant chatter. Marcus Aurelius wrote: “Nowhere you can go is more peaceful than your own soul.”

👉 Action Step: Take 30 minutes daily without screens—journal, meditate, or simply sit with yourself.

2. Revisit Your Childhood Passions

Think back: what did you love doing as a child before judgment interfered? That often holds the key to your natural calling.

👉 Example: J.K. Rowling returned to storytelling after years of working jobs that drained her soul.

3. Question Everything You Believe

Ask: “Do I truly believe this, or did the world tell me to?”

• Career choice

• Lifestyle

• Values

• Success metrics

👉 This Stoic exercise strips away false beliefs.

4. Practice Small Acts of Rebellion

Authenticity doesn’t require quitting everything overnight. It starts with daily courage:

• Wear what you love

• Speak your truth in conversations

• Choose joy over approval

5. Live With Courage and Integrity

Seneca taught: “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” True wealth lies in living authentically, not accumulating what society praises.

⚖️ Analogy: The Mask and the Mirror

Imagine wearing a mask for years. At first, it feels uncomfortable. Eventually, you forget you’re even wearing it.
This mask represents society’s version of you.

But when you finally look in the mirror, you see the true face beneath. That moment of recognition—that’s self-discovery.

🌍 Historical + Modern Examples of Authenticity

• Socrates: Preferred death over betraying his truth.

• Steve Jobs: Dropped out of college, followed his passion for design, and changed the world.

• Malala Yousafzai: Refused to let society silence her, choosing authenticity over fear.

• Frida Kahlo: Painted her pain and truth unapologetically.

👉 Each one chose authenticity over approval.

✨ Lessons From Stoicism

• Epictetus: “Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.”

• Marcus Aurelius: “Be content with what you are, and wish not to change; nor dread your last day, nor long for it.”

• Seneca: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

All three remind us: inner freedom > external approval.

🌱 Final Reflection

So, ask yourself again:
Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?

Your answer won’t come from Google, Instagram, or society. It will come from silence, reflection, and courage.

Because at the end of life, the only tragedy greater than death is never having lived as yourself.

#StoicShelf #AuthenticSelf #SelfDiscovery #TrueIdentity #Stoicism #PhilosophyOfLife #InnerPeace #PersonalGrowth #RediscoverYourself #BeYourself

Perhaps You Are a Slave of Your Own Thoughts of Yourselves

The Invisible Prison of Overthinking

Your greatest enemy isn’t the world—it’s the voice inside your head. Most of us are slaves to our own thoughts, chained not by reality but by self-doubt, fear, and endless overthinking. These invisible chains drain energy, steal joy, and blind us from the truth: your thoughts are not you.

The Stoic Reminder

Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king, once wrote:

“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

But what happens when we forget this truth? We allow every worry, every self-doubt, and every fear to rule us. Instead of being the master of our minds, we become slaves to them.

Modern Examples of Mental Slavery

1. The Social Media Comparison Trap 📱
   You open Instagram for a “quick scroll.” Ten minutes later, you feel miserable. Everyone seems richer, happier, more successful. But here’s the truth: you are not comparing lives—you are comparing your behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel. The slavery isn’t the app itself—it’s the thought: “I’m falling behind.

2. The Student Who Fears Failure 🎓
   A student studies hard, yet before every exam, the thought arises: “I’m going to fail.” This thought paralyzes them, steals focus, and sometimes even causes the very failure they feared. The exam wasn’t the enemy—the thought was.

3. The Professional Trapped in “What Ifs” 💼
   You want to switch careers, start a business, or chase a dream. But your mind whispers: “What if you fail? What if people laugh? What if you lose everything?” These “what ifs” become a mental cage, keeping you in a job you hate.

4. The Heartbreak Loop 💔
   After a breakup, your mind replays conversations endlessly: “What if I had said this differently? Maybe they’ll come back. Maybe it was all my fault.” The relationship ended once—but your thoughts force you to live the pain a thousand times.

5. The Everyday Overthinker 😰
   Even small choices—like what to wear, what to say in a meeting, or whether to send a text—become battles. Thoughts cycle endlessly: “What if it’s wrong? What if they misunderstand?” Instead of living, you’re negotiating with your own mind.

How Stoicism Helps Break the Chains

Stoicism teaches that thoughts are like guests in your house. Some bring peace, others bring chaos. But you are the host—you choose whom to entertain.

Epictetus once said:

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them.”

It’s not the world that enslaves us, but our perception of it.

1. Journal Your Mind 📝 – Writing down anxious thoughts exposes them as repetitive and exaggerated.

2. Pause Before Believing ⏸️ – Ask: “Is this fact—or just fear?”

3. Reframe Failure 🔄 – Turn “I failed” into “I’m learning.” Remember: obstacles are lessons.

4. Detach from Thoughts 🌱 – You are the observer, not the thought itself.

5. Practice Negative Visualization 👁️ – Imagine the worst-case scenario. Then realize you can survive it. Fear shrinks when faced directly.

More Real-World Applications

• Workplace Pressure: Your boss sends a short email: “We need to talk.” Instantly, your mind says: “I’m in trouble. I’ll be fired.” Hours of anxiety follow—only to find out it was about a new project. The suffering wasn’t from the meeting, but from your thoughts.

• Public Speaking Anxiety: Standing before a crowd, your mind screams: “You’ll embarrass yourself!” Yet most people aren’t judging you—they’re focused on themselves. The thought enslaves you more than the audience ever could.

• Relationships: A friend doesn’t reply to your message. Your thought? “They don’t care about me anymore.” Reality? They were just busy. Again—the chain was imagined.

Your Liberation Lies Within

Perhaps you are a slave of your own thoughts—but the chains are not locked. Freedom isn’t about controlling the outside world—it’s about mastering the inner one.

Every moment gives you a choice:

• Remain bound by fear and doubt, or

• Rise as the master of your mind.

The key has always been in your hands. 🗝️

#StoicShelf #Stoicism #Overthinking #MindsetShift #MarcusAurelius #InnerPeace #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth #MentalFreedom