Siddarth Shukla

Don’t Trust Others, Always Verify with Yourself!

We all have moments in life when we realize that the beliefs we grew up with—the ones that shaped our identity and how we interact with the world—no longer align with our reality. This realization often brings with it confusion, guilt, and sometimes resentment. It’s as if the past is pulling you back, but something inside knows that to grow, you must break free from those old patterns.

For me, this struggle has been most apparent when it comes to family traditions. My mom, who is deeply connected to Indian customs, often expects my wife and me to carry on these traditions, even though they no longer make sense in our current environment. Living in the U.S. with a partner who isn’t Indian, I’ve faced moments where I’ve had to question these traditions and their relevance in our lives. This tension between honoring the past and embracing the present is something many of us face, whether in family dynamics, careers, or societal norms.

The Battle Between Past Expectations and Present Reality

Growing up, I was taught to seek validation from my family, particularly my mother. This meant following traditions, even if they didn’t resonate with me personally. But now, as an adult, I find myself in a position where those traditions cause more confusion than clarity. My mom often tells me about a tradition the day before it’s supposed to happen, expecting my wife and me to participate. My wife, who isn’t Indian, has no idea what’s going on, and the whole situation breeds chaos in our lives.

I feel guilty when I don’t participate because I know I’m not pleasing my mom. But when I do follow the traditions, I feel resentful because they don’t fit into my life, and the spontaneity of it all causes unnecessary stress. This is the essence of dual conduct—acting in ways that don’t align with my true values because I’m seeking validation from an external source, in this case, my mother.

This situation isn’t unique to family traditions. It’s something we all face when we try to fit into old patterns that no longer serve us. Whether it’s societal norms, job expectations, or even the way we think about money, we often cling to outdated beliefs simply because that’s what we’ve been taught.

Redefining Traditions: From Obligation to Purpose

I recently had a conversation with my mom where I tried to explain that times have changed, and our environment is no longer India. We can’t continue following these traditions without questioning their relevance. Traditions, I believe, are meant to bring us closer to truth—the truth of love, togetherness, and shared wisdom. But to do that, they must evolve with the times.

I explained to her that we need to create new traditions that are better planned and aligned with our current environment. Traditions that bring us together not out of obligation but out of a shared desire to connect, learn, and grow. Traditions are not just about the past; they are about the present—finding ways to honor what came before while embracing what’s true for us now.

This experience mirrors what many of us go through in our personal and professional lives. We feel bound by old expectations—whether it’s how we should behave, what career paths we should take, or how we should earn money. But just like traditions, these expectations need to be reassessed and redefined.

Evolving Views on Work: From Grinding to Sharing Values

The traditional view of work is that it’s something you must struggle through to earn money. You grind, sacrifice, and sometimes become a slave to the job just to make ends meet. This mentality has been passed down for generations, especially in a world where manual labor or corporate structures dominated.

But now, with the rise of the internet and the information age, this outdated belief is being challenged. Today, you can make money simply by being yourself—by sharing your knowledge, skills, and values with the world. We’re moving away from the old model of grinding for someone else and stepping into a new era where people can earn a living by aligning their passions with their careers.

Platforms like YouTube, blogging, and even Bitcoin-based communities are allowing individuals to monetize their specific knowledge, not by grinding, but by sharing their unique perspectives. This shift is profound because it challenges the very idea of what work should be. No longer is it about slaving away at a job you hate. It’s about creating value by being authentic and sharing what you know.

Bitcoin: Breaking Free from Traditional Financial Systems

This shift from traditional to modern thinking is also playing out in the financial world. For decades, people have trusted central banks and fiat currency systems, even as they face rising inflation and economic instability. The old model is based on trust in governments and institutions, but that trust is eroding as these systems fail to provide the stability they once promised.

Bitcoin represents a new way of thinking about money. It’s decentralized, resistant to inflation, and empowers individuals to take control of their financial future without relying on outdated systems. Just like I had to rethink family traditions, people are now rethinking their relationship with money and what it means to have financial freedom.

The traditional view of money is tied to debt, credit cards, and inflationary policies. We see this in the rising credit card debt in America, which has surpassed $1.142 trillion. This debt traps people in a cycle of working just to pay off interest, leaving little room for growth or financial freedom. When you divide that debt across the population, it becomes clear that traditional financial systems are failing.

Bitcoin offers an alternative. It’s a system that rewards those who think for themselves and take control of their financial future, rather than relying on the old ways that keep people trapped in debt and confusion.

Conclusion: Aligning with Truth in All Areas of Life

Whether it’s family traditions, societal expectations, or the way we think about work and money, the theme is the same: we must stop seeking validation from outside sources and start aligning with our own truth. The world is changing, and the old ways of thinking no longer serve us. To grow, we must be willing to challenge outdated beliefs, evolve with the times, and create new traditions and systems that align with who we are today.

By thinking for ourselves and letting go of external validation, we can live more authentically, whether it’s in our personal lives, our careers, or our financial decisions. It’s time to break free from the old ways and embrace the new, not out of obligation, but out of a desire to live a life that is true to who we are.