You are what you read

I used to dislike novels because I thought they were just pure fiction, completely detached from reality. However, my perspective changed entirely when I realized that a truly great novel isn't just for entertainment—it can be an author's deepest truth, almost like a prophecy of the human experience. Take masterpieces like Hermann Hesse’s <Siddhartha> or <Demian>. Hesse didn't write them just to amuse readers; he wrote them from the bottom of his heart because he firmly believed those stories captured the life he was destined to live. What we casually dismiss as "mere imagination" was, to the author, a lived reality.

This made me realize that an author's true job is simply to write what they believe to be true. In fact, I often get the sense that novels hold a much deeper reality than the fleeting headlines of the daily news. Ultimately, we all read and write to touch the desires and truths that resonate with our own experiences.

This rule doesn't just apply to the books on my shelf; it shapes every piece of media I consume. When I was young (and even now), I loved reading survival stories like <Robinson Crusoe>, comic books about desert survival tactics, and watching Ed Stafford’s survival videos on YouTube. I used to wonder why I was so obsessed with them. Now I realize they mirror my fundamental assumption about life—that we must navigate this world tactically, using limited resources efficiently to survive and thrive. To me, it wasn't just a fantasy; it was a reflection of my actual outlook on reality.

Naturally, this brings me to a question: what does my current media diet say about me today? Lately, I find myself hooked on League of Legends pro-league matches and YouTube interviews or biographies of successful figures like Elon Musk. Beneath the surface, it’s not that I literally want to be a pro-gamer or a billionaire. The underlying desire is much deeper. My own analysis is twofold: first, I have a core drive to compete at the absolute highest level. Second, I want to be recognized by others for living a truly successful life.

Instead of judging these desires, I’ve decided to embrace and pursue them first. I am sure I will learn more about myself along the way. In the end, it turns out you can truly know a person by looking at their bookshelf, their playlist, and their YouTube algorithm. So, what has your algorithm been showing you lately?