If you’ve ever been around a toddler you’ve probably been asked the infamous question “why?” at least a bazillion times.

Regardless of the response they receive they’ll continue to ask this question until they’re satisfied -- this may take a while. Nevertheless, our curious children may be onto something. The never ending questions may stem from the notion that everything isn’t as it seems.

Sometimes I imagine that we humans have been living in this world with a blindfold on. From the moment we enter this world we’re told by various social institutions how we should or should not live, why one thing is considered bad while the other good, and if we don’t obey then we are labeled as rebels; deviant from their standards of life. Yet, I can’t help but to disagree. There’s more to life than the small bubbles we occupy and until we remove the blindfolds we will never be able to unmask the truths of this world.

What are the truths? Well, it depends on who you ask. If you were to ask me I’d tell you that the hidden truths of this world lie in an individual’s search for happiness. However, I’d then follow by saying happiness lies in the discovery of one’s authentic self or possibly the rediscovery. Allow me to explain.

I believe that when we are born we are 100 percent our authentic selves, untouched from human imposed beliefs. The only thing we know as newborns is love because we can feel and respond to it even while in our mother’s womb. Yet it is the minute our cognitive development really kicks in that we absorb the ideas, morals, and beliefs imposed on us by our social institutions. During this time we are wearing the invisible blindfold. The only truths we know are the ones being imposed on us. They are not yet our own. Hence why toddlers are constantly asking why? They want to understand why things have to be this way and not that way.

This has led me to the idea that what we’ve learned as children has become the foundation to which we base our lives off of. I would hope, but cannot assume, that many of us continue to ask questions as we grow older because I believe it is a crucial step in being able to define who we are. At some point we must take everything we’ve learned and question whether or not we agree with it. We must remove the invisible blindfold. By doing this we allow ourselves to separate from the things we do not wish to be associated with. We get step closer to rediscovering the authentic self, the person we were before society imposed its beliefs on us.

In finding our authentic selves we are closer to finding happiness. I believe the moment we find happiness is the moment when we realize that our truths are only true to us. What is true for me may not be true for my neighbor. The goal is not to impose our beliefs on others but to respect that everyone sees and defines life differently. We cannot live for others nor can we asks others to live for us. The goal is to live comfortably and happily in our own skin and accept that everyone else is trying to do the same. That’s the truth hidden behind the unintentional lies.

Good vibes & happy lives,