We walk through life believing we are singular. That our goals belong to us alone. That our victories are personal, and our struggles are ours to bear. We speak of “my dream,” “my journey,” “my success,” as if we exist in isolation. But is there such a thing as a truly individual dream?

Look deeper. The road you walk was paved by someone before you. The hands that built the bridge you cross belong to those who may never know your name. The air you breathe is borrowed from the breath of others. Even the thoughts in your mind carry echoes of the voices that raised you, taught you, hurt you, loved you.

And what of your ambitions? Are they truly yours? The doctor who dreams of healing carries the hopes of patients they have not yet met. The teacher who seeks knowledge carries the future of countless students. The entrepreneur chasing success unknowingly fuels the livelihoods of families they will never sit down with for dinner. Even the artist painting alone in a dimly lit room is crafting emotions that will one day belong to someone else.

Our dreams are not just ours. Yet we live as if they are. We make decisions with only our desires in mind, forgetting the silent ripples they create. We speak of freedom as if it means detachment, yet no choice is ever truly independent.

A man leaves his job in pursuit of passion, and his family must adjust. A leader makes a decision, and the people must live its consequences. A child chooses rebellion, and a mother loses sleep.

We are entangled in ways we barely comprehend. But here lies the dilemma, the paradox of existence. If we are never truly alone in our choices, where does individuality end? If every step we take shapes someone else’s path, how do we ensure we do not lose ourselves in the weight of others? Perhaps the answer is not in resisting connection, but in embracing it with intention.

To recognize that our goals are not solitary pursuits, but shared journeys. That to chase a dream is also to carry responsibility. That in every “I,” there is a “we.” The illusion of individuality is comforting. It makes us believe we are free. But the truth is deeper, heavier, more beautiful: we are never just one. We are a sum of many.