THE QUIET REBELLION: CHOOSING INNER PEACE IN A NOISY WORLD
Trust me, I am one of them. The ‘awkward swan’ in a pool of ‘ducks’.
Abby, why don’t you go out?
Abby, why are you always elegantly dressed?
Abby, have some fun, you only live once you know?
Over the years, I realized I prefer a nature walk to a party, and stillness to constant stimulation. I am at peace with who I am. While many people speak of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), I have come to embrace JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)
Let us put our thinking cap on and analyze my hypothesis. Since the advent of social media, the search for what I call ‘artificial dopamine’ has intensified. People take pictures for likes not memories. Friendships and relationships have become transactional instead of pure. Digital platforms, reward speed, comparison and excess. In the process, individuality is diluted and the world adopts a one-size-fits-all version of fulfillment.
What happened to self-love? Pursuing the state of nirvana? Not being slaves of our own thoughts? Despite the fact that this conflict does not resemble war in its traditional form, it is a conflict waged quietly against the human mind and body. Constant comparison, overstimulation and pressure to perform keep the society in a state of psychological alertness. This escalation has led to anxiety, burnout, emotional fatigue, sleep disruption and inner unrest.
I encountered this reality personally when I was asked what I do for fun. My answer was writing, music production, Pilates, research and spending time alone with my own thoughts. The reaction I received was telling. A mixture of surprise and discomfort. The encounter was a confirmation of my observation. Many of us have been conditioned to equate constant stimulation with happiness, even when it leaves us unwell (physically and mentally) and disconnected from ourselves.
Choosing natural dopamine (fulfillment drawn from creativity, nature, movement, meaningful work, rest and reflection) becomes an act of resistance in such a world since it is out of the norm. It is not being a wet blanket but a conscious decision to protect one’s health by regulating the nervous system, reducing internal conflict and rebuild emotional balance.
For a long time, humanity has been taught that peace is external. Peace has to be achieved, displayed or acquired. Perhaps it is time to change the narrative. Inner peace is not passive. It is a form of conflict resolution that begins within, reducing harm before it spreads outward. When individuals are at peace, empathy deepens, care becomes possible and healthier communities can emerge.
If being at peace with oneself makes one an “awkward swan,” then so be it. Come, let us be two.
May peace (and inner peace) prevail.