The right to be wrong

Over ten years ago, in my first year in college, I registered on a social network website called “Vkontakte” — a Russian equivalent of Facebook. Rebellious of the mainstream, I avoided social media for as long as I could until it became the way to communicate amongst my peers. I shared memes of the day, insensitive but funny videos, and had banter in the comments with my college friends. I posted depressing statements when I felt lonely. I thought I was clever and original. I was 17.

I cringe reading through all the content I generated. Looking back, I see the subtext of fishing for attention, seeking validation, needing emotional support. But this isn’t unique to me. Never before in human history was it so easy for anyone to record their expressions forever. We don’t know what 14 years old Shakespeare would have tweeted.

As I’m writing this, I’m wondering if ten years from now, my future self will cringe just as much. How about someone older than me reading this post today? What if this entire blog is a trivial cliche? What if the conclusions I came to in my other posts were wrong? What if something I say today will trigger the future society, and I will get canceled for it? What if someone reading it would think of me as pretentious and phony?

The fears are not unfounded, and yet here I am: expressing my opinion about expressing opinions.