I walk past people with their heads buried in their phones. Not knowing where they are going. Not sure if they are going anywhere. Only one thing on their mind: me. It is all about them. But we are them, so it is all about us. Every person who puts even a snippet of their life online is a pawn. It does not matter if you are showing skin or brain. You are still showing something. It counts. It all counts. You get labelled for showing too much, and also not enough. If you are not online, you are still showing something. You think it is bravery. For going against the grain. For choosing to be different. But the problem with believing you are in control is that you are lying to yourself. Freedom is just an illusion. You are not your own master. You cannot be. Dodging one bullet does not make for a shield when others come your way. You will get hit at some point. You will always have a target on your back. There will always be a new invention. You might not fall for the next, but you will fall one day. It is inevitable. The only way you can be the last one standing is by saying no to everything. But who would you be without taking a risk. Can you exist with no purpose? To give up pain is to give up happiness. You need the laughter. The tears. The moments where you feel you are dying. You have to let it all in, otherwise you are nothing. You cannot exist without the thing that brings about your death. There is no way out.