Santiago, an old fisherman, has gone out alone into the deep sea after a long run of bad luck. His young companion, the boy Manolin, isn’t with him this time. Santiago hooks a giant marlin and is locked in an exhausting, days-long battle with the fish — completely alone on his small skiff.
In his solitude, Santiago begins to talk aloud — to himself, to the fish, to the sea. There is no one else to hear him, but the talking helps him stay connected, focused, and emotionally steady during this intense ordeal.
It’s in this context that he says:
“If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy. But since I am not, I do not care.”
When I first read this, I was astonished by the profound wisdom contained in this short statement. For most of my life, I stressed about what others thought of me and how they perceived me.
I remember the time when I was in high school and how my peers bullied me because I was from a small town but went to study in the city.
“Villager!” – they screamed at me. – “Go back to your village! Why are you here?”
That was one of the most painful moments in my life. High school, for the most part, was a complete torture for me.
I wasn’t from a village—and being from a village isn’t a bad thing at all—but my young mind wasn’t mature enough to understand that.
So when Santiago said, that because he is not crazy, he doesn’t care if others think he is, it truly hit home.
Why do we care so much about others’ opinions? Especially if they hold no truth whatsoever.
I guess it stems from our ingrained desire to be part of a community. In the past, if we wanted to survive, we had to belong to a group. Being accepted wasn’t just a matter of social comfort — it was a matter of life and death. That deep-rooted instinct still lingers within us today, even though our survival no longer depends on the approval of others.
And that is the good news:
Our survival no longer depends on the approval off others.
We don’t need to stress, worry or even care about what others think and say about us.
Most of the time, the judgment of others is not about us at all — it’s about their own fears, doubts, and insecurities being projected outward. Once we see this clearly, it becomes much easier to let those opinions go.
So try this:
Next time you catch yourself in thoughts about others’ opinions, just pause, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
Why do I care what others think of me? Do their opinions really matter? Do their opinions make any difference to my actual circumstances?
Most likely, you’ll find that they don’t. The stories we build around others’ judgments often exist only in our minds — and they hold far more power over us than they should.
When you pause and reflect mindfully, you begin to see that these opinions rarely change the reality of your life. They come and go, just like passing clouds. What truly matters is how you see yourself, and how aligned you are with your own values.
Like Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea, we all have moments where we fear looking “crazy” or being judged for simply being ourselves. But here’s the truth: caring too much about what others think is its own kind of prison — one we can choose to step out of.
Mindfulness teaches us to observe these fears with compassion, not to obey them. It reminds us that the opinions of others are fleeting and often more about them than about us.
So speak to yourself out loud if it helps. Laugh too loudly. Pursue what you love. Take the risk. And if someone thinks you’re “crazy” for doing so — so be it.
As Santiago said: “But since I am not “crazy”, I do not care.”
Neither should you.
Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.
Lao Tzu