“True peace comes when you choose freedom and authenticity over approval—living a life that feels real, not performed.”
Introduction
We all carry a secret longing: the desire to be free. Not just free in the political sense, but free in the soul—free to think without censorship, to feel without shame, to speak without fear, and to live without pretension. Yet, freedom is not as simple as it sounds. To be truly free often feels like stepping into unfamiliar terrain. It requires courage to peel away the layers of masks we wear for the world.
Why, then, do so many of us hesitate? Why do we often silence our truth and slip into socially acceptable versions of ourselves? The answer lies in the ancient pull of belonging, the ego’s hunger for validation, and our fear of judgment.
Fear of Judgment: Our Oldest Fear
Judgment stings deeper than we realize. It doesn’t just bruise our pride—it shakes our sense of belonging. Historically, humans survived in tribes. To be cast out meant danger, loneliness, even death. This survival instinct is still wired into us. That’s why criticism can feel so threatening—it’s as though exclusion equals extinction.
In today’s world, no one is exiling us to the wild, yet our subconscious reacts as if rejection were life-threatening. This is why many of us bend ourselves into shapes that others find agreeable. Validation feels like safety. Approval becomes our shield.
Validation and Ego: The Endless Hunger
The ego thrives on recognition. It whispers, “Be seen, be applauded, and then you will be enough.” Every like, every nod, every compliment feeds it for a while. But here’s the catch: the more we lean on external validation, the more fragile our sense of worth becomes. Our happiness starts depending on someone else’s reaction.
And so we get stuck in a loop—performing to be noticed, pretending to be accepted, yet quietly starving for the deeper nourishment of self-acceptance.
Pretension vs. Authenticity: The Real Risk
Why do we pretend? Because it feels safer. Pretension is like a soft mask—it hides our fears, our vulnerabilities, our raw selves. To live authentically, to strip away that mask, feels risky. What if people laugh? What if they reject us?
But here’s the liberating truth: judgment doesn’t define us. It defines the one who judges. When someone projects criticism or ridicule, it reflects their lens, not our worth. Authenticity demands we see this clearly.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing authenticity despite fear. It’s realizing that the peace of being real is greater than the comfort of being liked.
The Need to Impress: From Performance to Expression
We try to impress because somewhere we equate being “liked” with being “worthy.” Yet no amount of applause can fill the emptiness of living a life that isn’t ours.
When we shift from impressing others to expressing ourselves, something changes. Life stops being a performance and becomes an expression. And in that expression, freedom no longer feels like a dream—it feels like a natural state of being.
So Why Don’t We Live Authentically?
Because fear whispers louder than freedom. Fear of losing people, of losing status, of being misunderstood. But freedom waits quietly, like a patient friend, ready to walk with us the moment we decide that peace of mind matters more than approval.
Conclusion: The Real Taste of Freedom
True freedom isn’t about how others see you—it’s about how you feel when you look at yourself. It’s living a life that feels good on the inside, even if it doesn’t look perfect on the outside.
When we choose authenticity, we stop living for applause and start living in peace. And in that peace, we discover what freedom really means.
Takeaway: Let your life be an expression, not a performance. Freedom begins the moment you stop chasing approval and start embracing authenticity.
Discover more from Peapodlens
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
