“Why Do We Do What We Do? The Battle Within Ourselves”
Why Do We Do What We Do?
Why do we repeat the things we know to be wrong? Why do we stand divided inside our own skin?
Why do we do what we do? Is there any meaning in our actions, or are we simply prisoners of habits, illusions, and impulses we never chose? Have we ever stopped long enough to think it through?
Every night, we set alarms with the resolve to rise early and conquer the morning. But when dawn comes, half-asleep, we fight against the very discipline we created. The night-self sets the alarm; the morning-self resents it. The same person, two opposing wills.
We know sugar and fried food damage us, yet our hands still reach for them. We know scrolling endlessly on our phones robs us of focus and time, yet our fingers unlock the screen as if bewitched. We know the book on our desk will enrich our mind more than the Netflix show, yet we choose the show, and while watching, we carry the guilt of wasting life.
And in a greater irony: we destroy our health to earn money, only to spend that money later to repair the health we ourselves sacrificed. Is this wisdom? Or is it a cycle of madness we have chosen to baptize as “life”?
We follow rituals, customs, and beliefs — bowing our heads, lighting lamps, reciting prayers — yet many of us do not even pause to ask: Why? What proof do we have of their worth? Why are we so afraid of asking questions? Perhaps because we sense the hollowness of our answers.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
The Inner Courtroom
These contradictions haunt me daily.
It feels as though more than one person lives inside me. A version of me wants to rise early; another drags me deeper into sleep. One urges me to eat clean; another whispers the lure of junk. One demands a meaningful life; another mocks the very idea of meaning. One longs to serve; another insists on selfishness.
This inner conflict is not unique to me. It is the condition of humanity — the very reason we must ask why we act against our own judgment when we look into our choices.
Which smoker is ignorant of his own destruction? Which gambler does not sense the risk? Which cheat believes he will truly escape consequence? We all know, yet we still do. Why?
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Picture this: a thief breaks into another thief’s home and steals. Should the victim cry injustice? If yes, he himself is guilty of the same. If no, then he cannot call himself a victim. Such is our hypocrisy. We condemn in others the very flaws we excuse in ourselves.
We are a battlefield of forces. Both sides are powerful, both justified in their own way. But who is the judge? We are. And here lies the tragedy: the judge himself is often corrupt, ignorant, or asleep.
To judge fairly, one must know the law. But in the law of inner life, there is no ready-made constitution. We must study, observe, test, and learn. Only then can we discern. Only then can our judgments be worthy. That is the beginning of overcoming inner conflict — an education of the self, not a lecture from others.
The Cost of Poor Judgment
Every decision reinforces one side of our inner battle. Each act of indulgence strengthens the voice of weakness; each act of discipline strengthens the voice of will. Slowly, without realizing, we shape a destiny.
The Bhagavad Gita reminds us, “Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he becomes.” Belief is not mere thought; it is the sum of choices we reinforce daily. You may say you believe in health, yet if your plate is filled with poison, your true belief is revealed. You may say you value family, yet if your hours are consumed by screens and strangers, your true priorities are exposed.
Belief is visible not in our words but in the trail of our actions.
And so, life is not random. It is a mirror. Every habit is a vote. Every indulgence is a surrender. Every moment of clarity is a seed of freedom.
The Age of Distraction
Most of us only treat symptoms, never causes. We distract ourselves endlessly because facing the battle within is uncomfortable. Noise becomes our refuge. Screens our opium. Notifications our companions.
Silence terrifies us. We avoid it at all costs. Some cannot sit still for even a minute without music, video, or chatter. People have grown so restless that they carry distraction into bathrooms, unwilling to face even those few solitary minutes.
We think distraction is harmless. But ignoring a fire does not save you from being burned. Pretending there is no war does not end the war. Ignorance is not innocence; it is slow suicide. This is the modern crossroads of distraction vs awareness, and the difference between them determines whether a life drifts or awakens.
The Real War
To live is to fight this inner war. To conquer oneself is harder than to conquer cities. Armies are easier to command than appetites. Thrones are easier to win than clarity of mind.
“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
This is the essence. The outer world is a reflection of our inner one. A society of people who cannot govern themselves will build governments of corruption. A generation that cannot control its cravings will build economies of addiction. A humanity that fears silence will drown itself in noise.
So the war is not outside. It never was. The war is within.
Awakening as the Only Answer
So what is the path? To awaken. To choose awareness over ignorance. To learn the art of judgment. To educate the inner judge so he is no longer blind, no longer corrupt.
This requires courage. For awareness brings discomfort. When you become aware of your distractions, the screen no longer comforts — it exposes. When you become aware of your indulgence, the food no longer satisfies — it accuses. When you become aware of your contradictions, your excuses no longer protect — they suffocate.
But discomfort is not death. Discomfort is the first cry of new birth.
The choice is clear: remain asleep in the false peace of ignorance, or awaken into the difficult freedom of awareness. One path is comfortable but empty. The other is painful but real. This is the heart of the battle between desire and discipline — choose which voice you will strengthen with each action.
Which path will you choose?
Closing Reflection
The questions remain: Why do we do what we do? Why do we sabotage ourselves? Why do we worship rituals yet mock reason? Why do we crave distractions yet despise the unease they leave behind?
Perhaps the answer is simple, yet hard: because we refuse to look within. Because the battlefield of the self is terrifying. Because the truth demands courage, and cowardice is easier. This very refusal is why many never begin the work of self-awareness and personal growth.
But if life has any meaning, it must lie here — in this battle. Not in victories over others, but in victories over ourselves. Not in escaping the questions, but in standing still long enough to face them.
To live blindly is not life. To live distracted is not life. To live without feeling is not life.
Just think over it.
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