u/Kairyx_c1

A few weeks ago, I started trying to spot my own biases and ego. I had noticed them in others for a while, so I figured it was time to look inward.Then a strange thought hit me: "What if recognizing my ego just creates a new one?"The kind that says, "Look how self-aware I am."

That thought bothered me for a bit. It felt like every ego I got rid of would just come back with a nicer label.I made a post about it, and someone replied simply: "Not every ego needs to be eliminated."That comment stuck with me for some reason.It made me realize that one thought can lead to another. One conversation can spark a completely new realization. This reminded me of two things I had written before:

❝ Cause creates cause. But the right cause creates something worth keeping. ❞

❝ Every thought has a trigger. Every trigger has a cause. But what you do after that is where your will begins. ❞

If I hadn’t made that post, I wouldn’t have received that comment. And if I hadn’t truly reflected on that comment, nothing would have changed.

Has a single comment or conversation ever completely changed how you viewed something that was bothering you?

A few months ago, after our first final exam, my friends and I were on the bus ride home.The exam went well, so everyone was excited. We were talking loudly, laughing, and enjoying the moment. I joined in on the noise just like everyone else.

Then, a strange thought hit me.I usually look for silence on a bus to have some time with my own thoughts. I often feel annoyed by students from other schools and wonder, "Why can't they just be quiet?"Yet on that day, I had become the noise I used to complain about.That's when I realized something important.I cannot expect silence from others if I am not willing to create it myself.I also started to wonder if there were other versions of me on that same bus people silently hoping for the peace and quiet that I once wanted while I was now part of the noise.After that realization, I stayed quiet for the rest of the journey.

For me, it was more than just a bus ride home. It reminded me that we often criticize others the very things we fail to see in ourselves.When I got home, I tried to summarize that moment with this quote:

❝ The moment I become part of the noise, I must remember the silence I once demanded from others.❞