There are times in life — seasons of transition — when everything quietly shakes beneath our feet. Moments when decisions are not just about the next step, but about who we are becoming.
Often in these times, a quiet but urgent question arises: Should I compromise my truth just to hold on to my position, my lifestyle, my belonging?
It’s easy to think of this as a simple choice of practicality. But if we listen carefully, there’s something deeper at play.
As human beings, we are mammals — and more specifically, pack animals. Our ancestors lived in tightly bonded groups, where survival depended on belonging. To be part of a tribe meant safety, food, and protection. To be cast out meant danger — even death. And it seems that even now, in our modern world, that ancient fear lingers in our bones: the fear of rejection, insignificance, or losing our place.
That is why sometimes, without realizing it, we are willing to sell small pieces of our soul — just to stay part of the herd. We compromise our principles not because we are weak, but because deep inside, a part of us is still fighting for survival.
Yet there is another path. A path that demands courage but offers something far greater: real freedom.
Often, I hear people say, “We are slaves anyway — slaves to society, to systems. Just live, be positive, be happy……”
But the real chains are not outside us. Real slavery is within: We become slaves to our desires. Slaves to our fears. Slaves to our attachments.
And here lies a deep and liberating truth: If we free ourselves from our attachments, no external force can truly enslave us.
The world may try to bind us with fear or tempt us with promises of safety — but a heart unattached remains unshaken.
The true path to freedom begins with a revolution within.
The journey toward truth always passes through the heart of letting go — letting go false securities, false identities, false standards. Trusting who we are, without masks, is enough.
This also connects to how we live daily: Instead of worrying about brands, appearances, trends, or lifestyles we are told to chase, what if we chose our own art of living?
What if our desires were not dictated by fear, but blossomed from within?
For me personally, choosing a “natural” lifestyle feels authentic only because it reflects my personal interest in nature, my profession, and my own longing. But authenticity does not look one single way.
This is not just an encouragement to be “natural.” This is a deeper encouragement to be yourself.
You may be artistic, colourful, extravagant, bold, unusual, minimalist, or anything in between — It does not matter. What matters is that it is real. That it is yours.
Authenticity means choosing the life that mirrors your soul, not a life borrowed from others.
When we dare to walk this path — even when it is harder — we keep the world a little more honest, a little more luminous and transparent for those who will come after us.
As Sohrab Sepehri, a Persian poet, reminds us:
“Let us not muddy the water; for down the stream, a dove might be drinking.”
“آب را گل نکنیم در فرودست انگار کفتری میخورد آب”
Let us keep the flow of life clear — for ourselves, for the ones we love, for those who will one day search for light just as we once did.
be happy,
Mahsa Asasi