What’s the Difference Between Different Lifestyles?

It’s Like a World War Inside Me!

Yep, there’s a full-on world war going on inside every single one of us!
A fight between two totally different sides—like, night and day—and both are trying to grab our attention and get us to follow their path.
But seriously, does it really matter which path we choose?

Have you ever thought about how you want others to see you?
Like, when people think about you, what pops into their head—your looks, your height, your grades, your parents’ car, the size of your house, the brand of your phone?
Or… would you rather people judge you based on the real you—the one that has nothing to do with any of that stuff?

See, all these differences come down to how we look at people.
What’s our lifestyle about?
Do we care about someone’s inner truth and spirit, or are we just checking out their material stuff?

When God created the first human, He blew a piece of His own spirit into them. That means there’s a bit of God’s spirit inside each of us. We call that part our “fitrah” or “true self.”
And that’s why we all have both the ability and the desire to reach the best of everything.

This “fitrah” thing is something only humans have—yeah, we share some natural traits with animals or plants, but they can’t have fitrah like we do.
And that’s exactly what makes humans so unique and special.

But hey, it’s not all that simple.
There’s always a major battle going on between our fitrah and our natural instincts—like, which one’s gonna take control?

Depending on which one we lean toward more—our deeper self or our basic instincts—we usually fall into one of these two groups:

• Fitrah-oriented (spirit-centered)
• Naturalists (materialists)

These two lifestyles define us in completely different ways.
They shape how we see life, what we think we need, what our goals are, and what dreams we chase.
They can make us super sensitive to some things—or totally ignore stuff that really matters.
So yeah, we gotta pay close attention to which group we’re falling into.

Our friend David felt this big-time—when he decided not to miss the school celebration no matter what.
As he put it: “I realized there are two of me!”

Fitrah vs. Materialism: What’s the Difference?

Let’s break down the difference between these two lifestyles with a few examples:

What Is Life, Anyway?
People who follow materialism think life ends with death—like, poof, nothing left.
So of course, all their focus is on the here and now, and chasing stuff in this world.
If they believe life is just this short ride, then yeah—physical pleasures matter most.
They worry way less about their distant future, and if they don’t get the best of everything, they feel like they’ve totally lost at life.
So in that lifestyle, people will do anything to get what they want. But people who follow fitrah see life as something eternal—death isn’t the end; it’s actually the beginning of real life.
To them, the true self never dies—it just switches places and levels.
So when you believe that, of course your thoughts, choices, and behaviors totally change.
You might even make decisions that seem super weird to people who only care about this world.

Who Are We, Really?
Material-minded people think it all comes down to the body.
That means their happiness and peace depend on their physical needs and pleasures.
They believe stuff like gender, food, clothes, job, or house should all be set up just right to feel good and happy.
So in that world, even their biggest dreams often shrink down to basic, physical needs.

Even when they try to help others, learn cool things, or invent something new—it all circles back to their own body’s wants.
They’re always asking: What do I get out of this?
Even with charity, it’s like: “Hey, help out and you won’t have to pay taxes!”

But Fitrah-Followers?
They see us as way more than just a guy or girl, teacher or student, etc.
To them, the body’s just a tool—something to help us reach our super high, infinite goals.
They enjoy games, shopping, hanging out—but they don’t let those things become their purpose.
They focus their energy on bigger things, not just quick, temporary stuff.
It’s kinda like this:
Are you playing a game just to collect points, or to actually enjoy the game? We explain these differences in the next Inner Galaxy video below:

Are We Limited… or Eternal?

Before we were born, we already tasted what eternity feels like.
Whether you’re into materialism or fitrah, we all came from the same place.
So deep down, we’re all looking for infinity—we just search it in different places.

Materialists still crave the infinite—but they tie that craving to material stuff.
Like: more money, more power, living forever, or nonstop pleasure.
They keep jumping from one worldly goal to the next—like a never-ending race.
But here’s the thing: The material world is limited.
It can never fully satisfy that infinite craving.
That’s why they often end up feeling let down or anxious.

Fitrah-followers, though, point that craving toward something beyond the material world.
They say: “If our thirst for infinity is real, it can’t come from something limited—so it must come from something infinite, like… God.”
So they don’t waste time chasing forever in things that aren’t built to last.
Instead, they go straight to the source—God Himself.
And when they do? That craving for the infinite actually gets satisfied.
Simple as that.

So Who’s Really Blissful?
Because of all these differences, even the definition of bliss changes.
Materialists say bliss comes from getting what you want—money, looks, power, fame, cool stuff.
The more you have, the happier you are.

But in a fitrah-centered life, real bliss is about deep, lasting happiness and peace.
It’s about having pleasures that don’t disappear in a flash.
And that’s only possible when you connect to the true source of bliss—God—
the One who has it all and gives the best of everything.

So now, which group do you think you’re in?

Are you with the fitrah-oriented—chasing true, forever happiness and peace?
Or are you in the materialist camp—seeing people through the small lens of worldly desires?

First, go back and review the beginning of this issue of Borna Magazine…
Then come back and answer that question.