The Dog in the Park, and the Ego in the World
On fickleness of fame, ego, and what a dog taught me about being seen.
Dear Reader,
Before I say anything else, thank you for being here. 🤎
It has been a few weeks since I last wrote to you. There is so much noise in the world lately, and wherever this letter finds you, I hope it brings you a few moments of stillness. So come sit with me for a while. I have been thinking about something.
Let us talk about noise, about conflict, about a dog, and about fame.
The Noise
I have decided to step away from all social media platforms because they have become very loud places. They are hollowing out the kind of attention I want to give to life. The constant scroll of updates and noise is not where I want to spend my mind or my hours. So going forward, this blog or the 1–2 letters I write each month will be my only online presence. That being said, thank you, as always, for reading and for walking with me this far.
I am starting to think that there is something broken in a world where you have to announce your pain to be believed or document your joy to make it real. Everything seems to be driven by an urge to be witnessed. Given how and where we are moving, it is becoming too heavy to constantly construct your soul. The sad thing is, we are not even doing that for ourselves, but for others.
This hustle for attention is just a phantom reward for our minds.
That, to me, is the saddest thing.
The Ego
And while all this happens, the world burns. I am not even saying this metaphorically. Everywhere there is conflict and this hunger for power. It totally bewilders me that in an age where we know more about each other than ever before, we still have not learned how to let one another live. We want our versions of history to be remembered.
How do we even respond to all this without becoming numb? The only answer or reason I could find is this:
Peace is an illusion, especially the kind where we let others be.
And maybe that is another tragedy!
We take pride in humanity, but we often end up speaking or arguing about it, rather than honoring it.
That, too, is the saddest thing.
The Dog
Albeit if I have to talk about peace, I have found some in a park nearby, where a stray dog lives. I named her Maple.
The life she lives is simple: be present and think about current problems. She does not really ask for anything, just space to rest, a bit of food, and maybe your attention if you are gentle enough. She somehow knows her place in the world, and she takes up no more than she needs.
I know, we humans have evolved far from that stage to become who we are now, and the distinction is in our ability to plan and anticipate, which also brings anxiety and worry. They just exist, fully, in the present.
Animals do not suffer from the disease of self-image or consciousness.
Maple reminds me of that. Of just being and that being enough for brief moments at least. Maybe that is why I want to watch Maple rather than scroll my social feed.
The Fame
Recently, I have seen or read so much hatred online about others. So many harsh opinions! People attacking others with words! People they do not know! Sitting comfortably in their homes, letting loose a flood of negativity into the world. But why? You do not know what the other person is going through, or what they have been through to reach some point in life.
And it made me think, fame is a fickle and often hollow thing. One day, you are liked. Then loved. Then disliked. Then hated. Then pitied. Then hated again. Then, maybe, resurrected again. And we for sure should not hang our self-worth on this roller coaster of people's judgment. But the sad thing is, we see people taking others opinions so hard that they start to believe that is the only way towards self-worth.
Because being seen is not the same as being understood.
I would rather have five readers who feel what I feel, who walk with me in thought, than five thousand likes that disappear the next day. But in the digital world, five likes feels disheartening. Translate that to real life: five people who genuinely care what you think or do? That should be enough. Shouldn't it?
We spend so much of our lives trying to leave a mark, to build a name, or even think bigger: to create an impact. All of that is great, but I think, maybe the real question we need to chase is:
How can I live in such a way that I do no harm?
Sometimes, when I just watch Maple do her own thing (mostly rolling in the grass), I think about how she does not demand to be seen. She does not manipulate anyone into loving her. And yet, she is loved.
That gives me hope. That we still have it in us to be appreciated or adored for who we are, off the screens and the noise. Obviously, we do not find it much these days, but I would like to believe that we still have got it.
That there is still such a thing as grace that no algorithm can replicate.
I will stop here for now.
If I disappear for a while, know that I am not lost. I have been reading Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground for the past few weeks, and have been preparing some really good notes and writing an essay to share with you soon.
To be honest, there is a very strange kind of clarity that comes from reading or knowing someone who refuses to lie to themselves, even if the truth is horrifying.
Until then, yours in thought,
Yana 🤎
The Loudness of the Digital World
Social media was once imagined as a connective tool — a space to share, learn, and engage. But for many, it’s evolved into a performance stage rather than a community. The constant stream of noise can drown out one’s inner voice, replacing reflection with reaction. Your decision to step away is not retreat — it’s a reclaiming of your attention.