About Functionality

We live in a time in which constantly producing something—and being useful in whatever we do—has been turned into one of the most essential prerequisites of life. We have become individuals who exist through production, who are validated as long as they produce, and who are rendered almost nonexistent when they do not. Regardless of its quality or content, the obligations defined for us by “others” have, over time, become habits of our own, and perhaps we even struggle, in a vague way, with a part of ourselves that we have distanced as a form of defense.

A continuous state of busyness shaped by pre-defined plans and schedules—often alien to the self—creates a growing cloud of anxiety. This is followed by a strange sense of emptiness that comes from the loss of meaning in life. Gradually, this begins to occupy the entirety of the self and becomes increasingly heavy. While drifting within this vortex, months or even years may pass. Yet at some point, one looks back and begins to come into contact with what has been lost.

It is precisely here that the degree to which the self has been realized, and how authentic one’s experience has been, becomes the central question. For this reason, sometimes setting everything aside, being idle, or taking a step without calculation, evaluation, or concern for outcomes—simply for oneself—can become the most valuable act. Because it is quite clear that the pleasure derived from owning something that is not functional yet ultimately meets the needs of the self has nothing in common with the artificial satisfaction provided by anything foreign to the self.

Therefore, instead of the ready-made menus life places before us, there is a more fundamental question we must first consider:

What do we truly want?