Close your eyes and imagine, just for a second, that everything you know about this world is a lie. Imagine that everything you believe to be unreal actually exists—just like the strange visions you sometimes see when the lights go out.
Now, let me ask you a question: What does a gun do?
You'd probably answer: It can kill people.
And I'd reply: But what proves that a gun really kills?
You'd say: I've seen it in movies, on the news, in wars, and in the hands of killers.
But what if I told you this: A gun only kills because we believe it does.
Since birth, we've been told—directly or indirectly—that weapons are made to kill. And because we believe it, it becomes real.
Then you might say: So if I just believe a gun won't kill me, I won't die.
But it's not that simple. Billions of people already believe the opposite. A collective belief is not so easy to erase.
However, if you believe your body is immune to bullets, then they won't harm you. Why? Because that belief concerns you alone, not the rest of the world. As long as a belief is tied directly to you, then your mind can make it real—anything you can imagine and truly conceive within your spirit.
Boyka raised his head and asked:
— So that's it, Mr. Sthim? You're telling me that I can create or achieve anything I believe in, as long as my mind is capable of conceiving it?
Mr. Sthim nodded:
— Yes, that's the essence of it. But it's not so easy for everyone to believe their mind is capable of such things.
Boyka lowered his gaze and whispered:
— Then if I kept believing, with all my strength, that I didn't exist… I would disappear?
Mr. Sthim's eyes softened:
— No, it doesn't work like that. If you try to believe you don't exist, it creates an interference in the world. Because you're trying to erase yourself. But you didn't create yourself—you cannot unmake what you did not create. It's like trying to break rules that you never wrote.
Boyka, with a cold smile, said:
— Then I understand… If everyone I know lived as if I didn't exist, if they were truly convinced of it… and if I too consented to believe that I don't exist… then, at that moment, I would vanish.
Mr. Sthim's gaze turned cold:
— Yes. In that case, you would truly disappear. But are you sure that's what you want? I know you've suffered from loneliness, from mockery… But that's not a reason to turn your back on life by choosing not to exist.
If these thoughts creep into your mind, it's only because your daily life—the way you live right now—doesn't suit you. What you need is to try new things, to see the world differently.
Boyka, his face tense but his eyes filled with sadness:
— Don't pretend like you understand me.
Mr. Sthim smiled:
— I'm not pretending. You don't need to be understood, boy. What you need is freedom. Free your mind. Live the way you've always wanted to. See the world the way you want to see it, not the way others tell you to.
Those words carved themselves deep into my heart.
Boyka:
— So, Mr. Sthim, you're saying I have to see the world differently… but in my own way?
Mr. Sthim:
— Exactly.
Boyka:
— Then I'll decide to live the way I choose, and I'll believe it within my mind.
At that moment, I closed my eyes and told myself that nothing was impossible.
Mr. Sthim:
— You see it too, don't you?
Boyka (opening his eyes):
— Yes…
I saw wonders beyond imagination: enormous spheres of water suspended in the sky, houses built as if stitched together from different eras, and a sky that changed colors with every emotion I felt.
Mr. Sthim:
— Do you see now? This is what the world truly looks like once you break through the barrier of the impossible. The world you know is nothing but an illusion—crafted by those in power to keep you under control. But also to prevent chaos, because if everyone discovered what the human mind can do by reshaping belief, they would plunge into madness, craving knowledge and power to dominate everything.
That's where we come in. We exist for one purpose: to maintain the balance between the ordinary world and the world of infinite possibility.
Come with me. Help us keep that balance. You'll see—you do deserve to exist. And your life will never be boring again.
At that moment, only one thought burned inside me:
How far could I go with my mind… and finally feel truly alive?