I'm thinking….

We're taught what to value, how to behave, and what success looks like. Over time, these ideals are reinforced until they seep into our very sense of self. Those standards that are meant to guide us, soon begin to confine us.

As we internalize these expectations, we begin to mold ourselves to fit them. What started as external ideals gradually becomes our identity, our behavior, and our way of life. We live according to principles never truly questioning them, not realizing that these imposed standards can't fulfill our deepest need for understanding and social connection.

In the search for connection, we find ourselves interacting with something other than people—something *human*, but not quite human. Think about it, how often do we anthropomorphize objects, pretend they're alive, or speak to them as if they're capable of responding? This isn’t just imagination at play; it’s an unconscious attempt to preserve the illusion of social interaction. Desperately seeking some form of connection, clinging on to an illusion. The more we pretend to be understood, the more we lose touch with *real* connection. The more we affirm our loneliness, the more isolated we feel.

When you want to strike up deep conversations about life, about anything that lets you feel like you are truly being listened to. Things that require listening to be understood, but the most you'll ever get is probably talking about the weather. The realization of not being able to communicate, feeling no longer human, mentally, and that there are only humans around you.

Or maybe I should stop thinking…