To Be or Not To Be

Sometimes, life places us at a crossroads. One path appears easy but hollow inside, while the other looks difficult yet hides a new horizon at the end. Ali found himself standing at such a point in his life. In his mind, one question echoed again and again: “To be or not to be?”

Ali was an ordinary young man with extraordinary dreams. There was a fire burning inside him, keeping him restless. He wanted to bring change to the world, to leave behind a mark, but fear whispered constantly—What if you fail? What if your efforts mean nothing? His friends often laughed at his ideas, saying:

“Forget it, man. Let things stay as they are. Why take risks when the world is already so difficult?”

But Ali’s heart always replied: “If everyone thought like that, where would the world be today?”

One quiet night, Ali sat by his window, gazing at the stars. The city outside was asleep, but his thoughts were alive, racing faster than ever. The stars sparkled like tiny messengers, each one saying: “Be brave. To shine, you must first embrace the dark.” In that moment, he realized that life itself was no different. Every darkness was only the beginning of a journey toward light, and every struggle carried within it the seed of growth.

But the question still remained: To be or not to be?

Should he accept an ordinary life, blending into the crowd, or risk everything to chase his passion?

His mind wandered back to his childhood. He remembered the day he won a school speech contest, when his teacher looked him in the eye and said: “There’s a leader inside you. Don’t ever silence that voice.” He remembered the first time he helped an orphan child, the way a simple smile of gratitude lit up the boy’s face. That moment had stayed with him like a photograph etched on his soul. Those memories whispered a truth he could no longer ignore—human life finds its meaning not in survival alone, but in lifting others along the way.

The night grew colder, but Ali’s heart grew clearer. His doubts began to fade, replaced by determination. At that point, his heart gave the answer:

“To be.”

Yes, he would live—not just for himself, but for others too.

The very next day, Ali took the first step toward change. He created a small platform for young people in his city—a space where dreams could be nurtured and turned into reality. It wasn’t much in the beginning, just a borrowed room and a few chairs, but it carried a vision far bigger than its walls.

At first, challenges came one after another. Some mocked him, saying he was wasting his time. Others told him it was impossible, that no one would care. Resources were scarce, and there were nights when he went to bed wondering how he would continue. But Ali refused to give up. He knew that quitting would mean leaving the greatest question of his life unanswered.

Slowly, things began to shift. One student came, then another. Some contributed through education, tutoring younger kids who couldn’t afford extra classes. Others expressed themselves through art, painting murals that spoke of hope and resilience. A few even began small businesses with the platform’s support, proving that courage could indeed transform lives. What started as a fragile idea began to grow roots, and soon it blossomed into a movement.

Time passed, and one day Ali looked around to see a remarkable change in his community. Young people were no longer afraid to dream, and even more importantly, they had found the courage to pursue those dreams. The city, once silent and hopeless, had begun to buzz with energy and possibility. Laughter returned to the streets, murals colored the walls, and hope became a language everyone understood.

Ali had done exactly what he promised himself that night—he chose “to be.”

In his personal diary, Ali finally wrote:

“The biggest decisions in life are never made by reason alone—they are made by the heart. Logic often holds us back, but the heart pushes us forward. The question ‘to be or not to be’ comes to everyone, but true success belongs to those who choose ‘to be.’”