Maggiewosy+FollowThe first step to youth awakening: Leaving homeThe first step to a young person's awakening is leaving the comfort of their original family. As Thoreau said in Walden, "Only in the absence of kin can one truly live." When I left my hometown and ventured a thousand miles away, I finally experienced true freedom and joy. Dressed in my favorite clothes, doing work I love, I embraced a version of myself that was completely different from what others expected. I was utterly free and clear-headed—this was my own kind of romance. Economic independence brought me mental liberation. #YouthAwakening #Independence #Freedom #SelfDiscovery #Walden30Share