In 2026, I choose stillness

What is your primary intention in 2026?

As for me, I choose stillness.

Recently, I’ve felt an urge to stop exploring the outside world and start looking more deeply into myself. Because of that, I canceled all the adventurous travel plans I had set for this year. Still, life goes on. I have to work, be an intelligent money user, and finish my associate degree before transferring to a university.

I have witnessed some interesting — and honestly, ridiculous — patterns that I, myself, and the people around me keep repeating in our lives. I want to balance that brutal reality with what I believe are some ultimate truths of life.

In a happy moment, my sister once told me she couldn’t imagine how empty the house would be without children running around. She asked me how I planned to manage my life if I chose to be single for the rest of my life — wouldn’t I feel lonely?

I couldn’t say anything. I just smiled.

Now, somewhere in the circle of life, she finds herself questioning whether having children is really a way to avoid emptiness — the kind that sits deep inside one’s soul. Children grow up. They take up space — physically, emotionally, mentally. And there are moments when they make their caregivers feel as if life is an endless loop of exhaustion and frustration.

A few years ago, I looked at the house I live in now and thought:

I’m so grateful for all of this — modern furniture, a great location, a caring family. This is it. I don’t need anything more.

That thought was true — in that moment.

Now, things have drifted in different directions.

The newness and convenience have become normal and no longer bring joy. The “caring family” has slowly turned into a place where no one feels fully free to be themselves. Sometimes, we avoid each other just to feel a little more at peace. I’ve wanted to move out for quite some time now.

Perceptions change. Mental formations change. Emotions change.

People constantly seek things from the outside to avoid facing discomfort on the inside.

We all have wrong perceptions — wrong ideas about happiness — no matter how many lessons we’ve learned throughout our lives. We know things won’t turn out exactly the way we want, yet we cling to control. We want to control how our lives unfold. When reality doesn’t match our expectations, we switch directions, hoping the next thing will finally make us feel fulfilled.

I’m tired of that cycle.

I know I’m responsible for my own feelings. Moving out might help, or it might not. A vacation is never enough to heal months or years of continuous exhaustion. And staying away from the people I love is not a sustainable way to find peace.

I know I’ve been holding onto certain views about my family. I look at my loved ones through the lens of the past instead of seeing who they are in the present moment. That is my work. I need to learn to let that go.

I am slowly realizing that we are one — me, you, everyone. We are made of non-human elements: water, clouds, rain, air, fire. Without these elements, we cannot exist.

I know that my dad is me. And I am my mom. Where was I before I was born? I was always there — in my parents, in my ancestors, in countless sperm cells and egg cells, waiting to be manifested. I am a continuation.

That means I have to take responsibility for my own happiness. I have to keep this view with me throughout my life. I have to look deeply into things and accept this truth:

I am not sure.

I don’t know anything.