And the Universe Said Everything You Need is Within You

5 Jul, 2026

Welcome back! I didn’t post last month because I was feeling a little unmotivated/uninspired, but I am hoping that this month will be better. This post was supposed to be longer with some more introspective bits, but I decided to cut them for brevity’s sake. I hope you enjoy!

Things I’ve been up to:

Real or Cake???

Last summer, I read J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how its themes still parallel reality despite being half a century old, which is how I suppose it gained its status as a modern classic. A key theme from the book that stands out to me is the idea of an inherent “phony-ness” that exists in adult society, as compared to the unfiltered innocence of adolescence. This being said, whenever I read coming of age books, I try my best to be aware of my own biases. As a teenager, I feel that I am more prone to interpreting these books in conjunction with my own subjective experiences and as some profound truth to the inner workings of our society, rather than as an objective audience (one could argue that relatability is the entire purpose of coming of age media, but that’s a discussion for another time). However, I do believe that the main character’s critiques about a lack of authenticity in modern society still hold true. For example, I often have to remind myself that most of what I see my peers post on social media is a hyper-curated collection of highlights and not an accurate depiction of reality. I also feel that, as a society, we have come to tolerate this lack of authenticity, as seen through the “performative male,” larping, fake friendships, etc. to the point where it feels normalized to doubt the reality of close relationships. Like, does anyone really care?

I recently decided to flat out not use Instagram for the better half of a week (coming from someone who averages an hour or two a day on the app), and doing so made me realize how little substance is actually consumed on the app. This holds especially true when considering how dead internet theory is now a reality. If most posts I see are superficial and most DMs I receive are trivial, what good is “social” media if it fails to facilitate any meaningful social connection? I'm sure that there are many people out there who have had overall positive experiences on social media, but for me personally, having what is essentially a dopamine gun in the back of my pocket has had a net-negative impact on my wellbeing. I do not want to completely delete the app, but I would like to be more mindful regarding my usage of it going forward. Mindless content consumption is unhealthy, especially when the content in question skews what should be considered average and promotes unhealthy habits. Perhaps this loss of authenticity goes hand-in-hand with what we have concieved to be adulthood; it has become an inherently intertwined with the metamorphasis that is adolesence, whether it should be welcomed or not. My childhood self was rarely bothered by what others thought of me. There wasn’t any incentive for productivity or performance. Sometimes I wonder what kind of person I would have become if not constrained by societal expectation. Honestly, I don’t think my childhood self would have cared at all.

Media I’ve been enjoying:

Thank you for reading! Any and all feedback is appreciated :)