I sit here writing because it is first now, when I am staring at a never-moving upvote symbol, that thoughts strike me. For the first time all day I feel as if I am actually thinking. Today has been a rather busy day, not because I've had a lot to do. But because whenever I have a minute to spare, I immediately appeal to my phone or laptop to keep myself entertained.
I decided to post something a short time ago on Steemit. It was nothing much, just some humorous way to present the mostly consensused idea that trickle down economics sucks, disguised as a rather common-looking post. The feedback was meagre at best. Which is fine. I do these things for me. But it was first as I was waiting for feedback that I had ever truly been myself today. For there was no feedback worth mentioning.
For the first time today, perhaps all week, I was not entertained. And as boredom crept up on me, so did my thoughts. My journey of reflections took me many places. Of past experiences, my biggest successes and my greatest failures. Without needing directions, the stream cleansed me of unwanted remains. I could put aside what belongs to the past.
And this is where the point lies, the cruciality of taking the time to reflect upon your life. It is only by pausing for a moment, to allow yourself to think, that you truly learn. Growth is proximity to thought. Watching the world in hindsight through different lenses challenge your perception of the world. It tears down faulty assumptions, and strengthens correct ones. Without these conducts you cannot realize yourself to the fullest, you are left to become a more ignorant version of what could have been. Much like looking down at a pond, or staring into the mirror, it is only when you reflect that you can truly see yourself.