I believe in thought: the contemplation of one’s beliefs, feelings, and personal philosophies. Our thoughts are the keepers of personality, integrity, and identity; they equate to our very existence in life and have the potential to change it. The matters we choose to occupy our brains with, and the thoughts we think define us in a way that cannot be matched by any label or external being. Thinking is important.

A few months ago, I asked someone a question that I felt was possibly the most personal question I could ask: What do you think about before you fall asleep? Ever since I can remember, the thoughts I had after dusk pranced around my head keeping me awake for hours, and I trusted that the circumstances remained the same for everyone else. I contemplated my mistakes, my resolutions, my ideas, my flaws, my personality, why I acted the way I did, the philosophies I agreed with, the people around me, the problems with society and how to rectify them, the past, the future...life.

I asked a question, one I concluded to be serious, and the response disappointed me to the point where I lost faith in my peers and felt weird for thinking others thought as much as I did; he replied by telling me he thinks of what school work he had left to do and then just simply falls asleep. I expected a deep and personal answer that would change my opinion of him and give me insight on his life and beliefs. I proceeded to nag him to tell me his inner thoughts but to no avail; I discovered that he lived his life allowing his parents and teachers to think for him (we have not spoken since then). If he remained completely honest and does not think deeply, how does he know himself?

The knowledge that not everyone ponders life the same way I do was not only a shock, but resulted in the growth of my opinion. I like that I think too much; I like knowing who I am and the reasons behind that person. Introspection acts as my way of knowing myself and how I connect to the world around me. In a place where one can believe in anything and everything, a thought is the root of all of it; deep evaluation of ourselves acts as the stem to all other beliefs. The contemplation of faith and of people and of ideas hold the greatest magnitude of importance. I believe in thinking and the power our brains and opinions have to shape us into people and not just humans. I wish for those like that poor boy whom I interrogated, the ability to converse with themselves and discover what they genuinely believe. It is the act of contemplation that contains the ability to discover inspiration in what really matters.

One who can think for himself would therefore not allow any man to think for him: the world grows corrupt without the individuals who know what they stand for and their ability to henceforth stand up for that idea. Without knowing ourselves, a community of followers is created despite this world’s constant need for freestanding thinkers. Thought is appropriate for everyone and needs to be exercised; without it, we lose ourselves as individuals and as a population.

Pledge to never allow someone to think for you and instead, be secure in who you are and the aspects you stand for. Just think about it.