The Manifesto

The way I am starting this blog is a manifesto to my readers and to myself. It is the first bold action to reclaim the power of the self over the labels and masks we have been carrying.

It took me a full year—from the dismantling of everything I knew to be my reality, until today—to embrace the conviction that I can be myself without asking for permission or comparing myself to others.

The journey started much earlier. I have always been looking for a confirmation of who I was. I looked for it outside, far beyond my family and my comfort zone, crossing into unknown geographical borders and unfamiliar social patterns. It was like looking for a "yes, you are okay the way you are" in the furthest places possible, simply because I could not allow myself to be me where I was.

At a very young age, I started asking myself a question:
"Is it really me living this life? Waking up in the morning in this place, in this body? Having this name? How can I be sure it is really me, and why should my life look this way?"

After around thirty years, I could eventually understand why I had to interrogate myself about my own life, as if I wasn’t sure of my own existence. Because, in fact, I was not sure I existed. I was not occupying my space; I was disappearing into a series of processes, relationships, and expectations—all seasoned by the relentless question that kept me fighting until I could find the truth.

I did not plan my inward journey the way I planned hundreds of travels in my life. I did not graduate in the foreign language of my soul, and I didn’t have a business plan for whether my inner discovery would bring any immediate return. I jumped into the dark. I cried, without knowing at first where the tears were coming from.

It was the most courageous flight I ever took: no passport, no luggage, no return ticket, no arrangements at the destination, and no friends picking me up at the airport. I was utterly scared. I was scared that the "old me" would not make the journey back.

But before I jump into the details of my story, I want to share the motivation behind this blog.

I have always loved reading—reading stories about humans, lives, struggles, and successes. I love the authenticity of life presented raw, unseasoned by the aesthetic expectations of our modern society. And I love writing. Writing is the escape I used to bring out what I didn't have the courage to say out loud. It is the expression of my voice, at times camouflaged by a fictional plot, sometimes structured like a research paper. Whatever the purpose, my thoughts get straight onto the paper (or keyboard), and I decided not to wait any longer to share my world with you.

Some will like my blog, some will comment bitterly, some will be surprised by the "me" they read between the lines, and some will regret that I even started it. I don’t know whether this will be a successful blog or if it will be forgotten in the internet jungle.

But one thing I know for sure: I write today for myself, without expecting fame, approval, or success. I write because I have decided this is what I want to do, because I like it, and because it makes me feel whole. I do not owe anyone any further explanation.

So, if you are wondering what authenticity looks like after the only personal identity you ever knew collapses, you are most welcome to read my articles and subscribe to my newsletter.