Visakan Veerasamy is one of the writers I admire the most on the internet. He always writes interesting, thoughtful pieces, and his essay on being serious is no different.
At the heart of it is Visa’s attempt to answer a deceptively simple question: what does it mean to be serious? And how should one think about seriousness as a way of life?
Serious vs. Solemn
This was a very thought-provoking article, and I’m still digesting it. But I completely agree with his point that being serious doesn’t mean being solemn or taking yourself so seriously that you forget to laugh. Without a little fun and play, you become pompous and unbearable—not serious, just stiff.
There’s a difference between the person who genuinely cares about their work and the person who performs caring through performative gravity. The former can laugh at themselves. The latter can’t afford to.
Seriousness Is Shown, Not Claimed
Perhaps the most important point he makes is that seriousness is not something you say but something you show. And not in days or weeks, but over years and decades—through both good times and bad.
I agree completely. In my experience, true character reveals itself not during the good times but the difficult ones. That’s where relationships are made or broken. Anyone can be serious when things are going well, when the stakes are low, when there’s nothing to lose.
But when the conditions change—when the project fails, when the friendship hits a rough patch, when the accolades stop coming—that’s when you see who’s actually serious and who was just playing a role.
You Can’t Demand It
Another point I loved: you can’t demand seriousness from others. If you try, you become a bully. The only way to inspire seriousness is to model it yourself—to lead by example rather than berate or shame people into behaving the way you think they should.
This is such an important insight, especially in an age where so much of online discourse is people demanding others take things more seriously, care more, try harder. But demands don’t create seriousness. They create resentment, compliance at best, and performative displays of caring that vanish the moment the pressure lifts.
Real seriousness is contagious, not coerced. You catch it from people who embody it, not from people who lecture you about it.
Time Reveals Everything
What makes Visa’s essay so compelling is that it’s not a how-to guide or a prescription. It’s an exploration. He’s genuinely wrestling with the question, turning it over, examining it from different angles.
And what emerges is a vision of seriousness as something that only time can prove. You can’t speedrun it. You can’t fake it for long. It’s the accumulation of choices made consistently, especially when no one is watching, especially when it would be easier not to.
Why This Matters
In a culture that rewards hot takes, viral moments, and performative intensity, the idea of seriousness as something quiet, patient, and long-term feels almost radical.
It’s a wonderful, humane piece. I won’t give away too much—just read it. I’m sure you’ll love it.