Can we discover the truth of our existence by looking into a mirror?
From the beginning until now, humanity has always strived to know itself—but this effort has often led to answers that either end in nihilism or are merely crafted to soothe the mind. Answers that serve more as a shield to escape the question than a light to understand it.
The question “What are we, really?” either has no answer, or if it does, it’s one meant to keep us from thinking further. Whatever we understand about ourselves is undoubtedly biased and limited—because any understanding that arises from within is inevitably captive to that very inner self.
I do not wish to present a bitter view, yet pure optimism leads to nothing but stagnation and indifference. So it must be said—though perhaps bitterly—that in every time and form, whatever a human has done, they have done for themselves.
Even if an action was for another, at its core it was a reflection of an inner feeling—compassion, guilt, satisfaction, or even the desire to be seen.
In the end, what rises from the human heart is nothing but the self; and perhaps this self-centeredness is the essence of all living beings.
The song Demons by Imagine Dragons makes interesting references to the concepts in the text, and listening to it is definitely worthwhile.
