Exploring Inner Truths in a Digital World: Unveiling Real Happiness Beyond the Screen

Unfiltered Reality: The Wild Quest for Self

Ditching Digital Delusions for a No-BS Dive Into What Really Makes Us Tick

Alright, you delightful disasters! It’s time to ditch those designer suitcases and grab those overstuffed emotional duffle bags of fear and feelings. This ain’t your leisurely spiritual retreat.

Stop being a pansy! We’re embarking on a hardcore, no-nonsense mission to find the ‘Self’ people.

Warning: Expect no coddling or cozy words of encouragement — this is a rugged, bare-knuckles crawl through the mud of your emotions.

So buckle up buttercups! It’s gonna be a helluva ride.

The Mirage of Social Media Satisfaction

First things first, let’s talk about where you definitely won’t find your ‘Self.’ Spoiler alert: it’s not out there in the digital wilds of social media. Sounds like I’m stating the obvious, right? But bear with me.

See, we’re all on this quest for connection. In our digital wanderings, we often end up lost in the shiny, filtered world of online influencers. These influencers peddle their polished personas like they’re the hottest kicks on the block.

Take those MSCHF Big Red Astro Boots they’re flaunting all over social media for example. They’re trying to sell us the idea that these ridiculously looking shoes are the pinnacle of cool, but come on, let’s be honest, they look stupid AF.

These kicks are impractical as hell! And get this, they are priced at a whopping three-hundred-and-fifty bucks. And no, they’re not some fancy gear for LARPing; they’re tagged as high fashion folks. It’s like we’re living in the Twilight Zone.

I mean, just look at ‘em! What in the actual hell are those, right?

Whew! Rant over. Now, let’s plunge back into our spiritual spelunking, shall we?

Just like those ludicrous boots, the brand of happiness sold to us on social media is about as real as the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Let’s get one thing straight peeps– true happiness isn’t a fleeting trend or a sparkly Instagram post. It’s a treasure buried deep within, not something you can slap on your feet, no matter how trendy or overpriced it is.

The Dilemma of Digital Desire

Scrolling through Instagram, we encounter a world of perfection: flawless models, idyllic lifestyles, and lists of ‘must-haves’ for the perfect life. We start to build parasocial bonds with these online personalities, where we feel connected to individuals we’ve never met. It’s like sipping on a mocktail — it looks the part but lacks the spirits.

Our fascination with these digital personas can trigger a sense of lack within us. Every picture-perfect post whispers in our ear, “Your life fuckin’ suuuucks!”

This constant comparison becomes a treadmill where we’re running toward an ever-shifting finish line of contentment. Exhausting isn’t it?

Lost in the Labyrinth of Likes

In our pursuit of likes, shares, and virtual validation, we often sideline the essence of our true being. We curate our lives for online applause from strangers, forgetting that the most important audience — our inner Self — is pushed back to the nosebleed section.

This endless chase for online validation leaves us feeling more like hollow avatars than flesh-and-blood humans. We’re stuck on a hamster wheel, sprinting towards a finish line that keeps moving. 

Rousseau’s Reminder: Back to Basics

And that’s where Rousseau steps in with a reality check. When the digital world feels like you’re looking into a funhouse mirror, reflecting distorted versions of ourselves, Rousseau calls us back to something more real, more grounded. He’s like that wise friend who tells you to get off the video games and take a walk outside.

Rousseau, with his clarion call to return to nature, reminds us that true happiness lies in simplicity and authenticity. In his view, society’s relentless push for progress and perfection only serves to distance us from our genuine selves.

As the king of keeping it real and a favorite of mine in the philosopher’s hall-of-fame, Rousseau hit the nail on the head about what really makes us tick. He said:

“The origin of our passions, the root, and spring of all the rest, the only one which is born with man, which never leaves him as long as he lives, is self-love; this passion is primitive, instinctive, it precedes all the rest, which are in a sense only modifications of it.”

Let those profound words of wisdom sink in. What Rousseau is getting at here is mind-bending. He’s saying that at the core of everything we feel and do is self-love. It’s like our emotional North Star, the OG passion that’s wired into us from the get-go.

Every other feeling, every high and low, is just a remix of this basic, gut-level love we’ve got for ourselves. It’s in our DNA folks — the real, unadulterated, straight-up love for who we are, underneath all the layers society piles on us.

With Rousseau’s words echoing in our minds, it’s time to switch gears and dive a bit deeper, into the realm of our inner workings. And who better to guide us through this intricate inner landscape than Carl Jung? He picks up where Rousseau leaves off, turning the lens inward to explore the complex, often hidden aspects of who we really are.

Jung’s Journey: The Inner Path

Jung doesn’t just skim the surface. He plunges into the depths, where our public personas and private shadows swirl around like a ballerina. It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion — each layer represents a different part of who we are or who we pretend to be. And at the core? That’s where we find our soul, our true ‘Self.’

Jung’s big thing is this process he calls ‘individuation.’ It’s not some trendy, Instagram self-help hack; it’s the nitty-gritty work of painfully piecing together every part of our being. Each piece — the face we show the world (our persona), and the parts we’d rather keep hidden (our shadow) — needs to find its place for the big picture to make sense.

The goal here isn’t to chase after fleeting digital likes or to get lost in the latest online craze. Nope. It’s about knitting together these aspects of ourselves into a cohesive whole. That’s where we find the kind of fulfillment that no amount of double taps on a screen can give. As Jung eloquently states:

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes”

Reclaiming Our Self in the Age of Social Media

So, while Rousseau nudges us to step out into the natural world for authenticity, Jung hands us a headlamp to explore the sometimes dark, always-fascinating caves of our inner world. It’s in these uncharted territories of our mind that we discover the essence of self-fulfillment, far beyond the ephemeral joys of digital applause and superficial trends.

In this digital age, where virtual lives often overshadow our reality, the challenge is to find our true selves amidst the noise. By embracing Rousseau’s simplicity and Jung’s introspection, we can embark on a more authentic journey of self-discovery and fulfillment.

So, let’s log off from the illusion and tune into the reality of our inner world, where the true treasures of life await discovery.

© 2023 Evelyn Ann Rose. All rights reserved.