Project Vision 21

In these times when screens replace reality and social media profiles stand in for our identity—when every action is posted, and every experience is monetized—we slowly lose our connection to who we are and who we long to become.

By anchoring our identity in the number of “likes” we receive, we reduce our being to whatever fits the new Procrustean bed—now digitalized—shaping ourselves according to what shapes us in the moment. In doing so, we push aside the deep longing to become what we once hoped to be in order to bring meaning and direction to our lives.
 

Long forgotten is that ancient call from someone named Saul of Tarsus, urging us not to conform to the dominant molds of any era, but to be transformed through the constant renewal of our awareness.
 

Because, ultimately, that self that flows with life—the one born of deep questions without answers, rooted in authentic values and aspirations—disappears when replaced by another kind of identity: an idealized version of the self that exists solely to please others and to grab attention.
 

This is no longer about a legitimate desire to grow or to share the good in our lives with others, hoping they too will flourish. Instead, we live focused entirely on projecting an image that will be accepted—regardless of whether that image has anything to do with our reality.
 

We’re not suggesting a return to the past, much less that the past was somehow better. That would be self-deception. What we’re suggesting is becoming aware that instead of growing inward, we’ve scattered ourselves outward, posting images that leave our inner lives increasingly hollow.
 

By constantly repeating gestures, phrases, or styles just because they perform well online, we end up behaving as if life itself were a never-ending self-promotion campaign. The pursuit of approval becomes routine, and with it, the aspirational self—that part of us that invites change, even if uncomfortable—is pushed into a corner.
 

Even more troubling, over time, we may forget what we once dreamed or aspired to become, to the point of confusing the edited (and published) image with the real person. As we begin to live according to external expectations—wearing the masks of others, as Parker Palmer would say—we become yet another simulation in a society flooded with simulations, as Baudrillard warned.
 

What once seemed like success becomes a burden, and what looked like connection turns into isolation.
 

But not all is lost. Returning to the aspirational self doesn’t require turning off your phone or deleting your accounts. It simply requires pausing for a moment and asking yourself: Am I choosing what I show, or just copying it? Does this version of myself help me grow?
 

That’s why reclaiming the aspirational self means allowing ourselves to be unfinished and imperfect—but authentic. In a world saturated with simulators, rediscovering who we truly want to be is an act of courage—and the first step toward a life with meaning.