On Compromise

Matilda Miraka
3 min readDec 24, 2020

In human history, we know many man and women who rewrote it, many man and women that stood against everything and everyone. They were judged on their stand, imprisoned, chased away, and obligated to turn their back to their own life, burned alive just because they thought differently and found the voice to say it out loud. They found the courage to swim against the stream even though it meant sacrificing everything even their own lives for the matter. Were they afraid, scared to their core by doing so? Was what they thought so important that it was worth their lives? Couldn’t they just keep those things to their selves and save their lives, why was it so important to speak out their minds and lose everything? Why do some, few, of us still do this even though rarely lately? Can’t we just live peacefully our days and just go with the flow and not against it? Why should we be impressed when we hear words like “If you are going with the masses is the right moment to stop and reflect”. Reflect on what, why should I be different from everyone else? I’ll tell you why, because I could never see myself as a coward, I could never let myself live in fear of repercussions just because I think in a different way and you should do the same. We are not here to calm the storm; we are here to raise it, to ask the hard questions that will trouble the mind instead of sleeping a peaceful but ignorant sleep that will lead to a sunny but empty morning. I refuse to do so with all my might, I refuse to sleep peacefully and ignore all the little thoughts that trouble my mind, I refuse to live in fear of not being understood or accepted. That does not matter to me at all, what does matter is the fact that I was a logical being willfully live by my right to say what I want to say, to poke the bear with a stick and take the full force it will unleash on me, not run from it. Maybe it will kill me, but if it doesn’t I will learn, I will evolve and be better, not the best but better. Life is a precious gift and it should not be lived in fear, we should be driven with passion by our curiosity and explore beyond what the eyes can see and ears can hear, what good is the mind if not used to its full potential because we are scared of what lies beyond, of what we might uncover. Why live in fear of falling when the path we are walking can teach us how to fly. I think that is the reason why we never hatch because we are scared of being left alone, but tell me really how bad can that be? Why being alone is so scary when all it offers is so much peace and quiet in such a chaotic world? I choose to be alone, I choose to walk by myself the path that will lead me either to darkness or so much light because I found peace in my own company, I found peace in walking alone and be troubled by my own questions. As I found the opportunity to explore my limitations and expand my horizons to new limits that I did not know were possible to reach. Now I am swimming in deep waters that yesterday seemed nightmarish to my mind, a nightmare that turned into a small piece of heaven, my own piece of heaven where nothing disturbs my small hours of sleep. In solitude I found so much because I do not need to sacrifice anything from myself, I do not need to act accordingly to other people’s opinions just because they would like me to behave in a certain way otherwise they would leave my life. So tell me, my friend, do you think that compromising who you are is even worth it? Putting a price tag on your forehead is humane for you, is there any amount that would be able to pay for your soul? If so, I invite you to indulge yourself in deeper thought, and ask yourself, does this world deserve it? Does it deserve for me to live a lie and put a mask first thing in the morning and hide who I am for the rest of my days? If yes, why so?

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