By Kevin Peterkin
“She stared into the mirror—not for vanity, but for verification. Something felt… off.
The shape of her body hadn’t changed overnight. But somehow, her posture had.
Her tone, her smile, her style…” — Excerpt from THEY
That’s how the journey begins, with a quiet question, buried beneath years of noise:
Who am I beneath what they said?
Who Is They?
Our thoughts, our feelings, and choices are shaped by internal voices. Some of those
voices were never ours to begin with.
“They” carries more than a grammatical role. “They” carries early opinions. Inherited
expectations. Silent comparisons. Cultural codes.
“They” speaks through a parent’s pressure. A teacher’s demand. A pulpit’s weight. A
partner’s words and a system’s blueprint. A moment of pain that never left.
These voices don’t arrive with permission, they force their way in, even before we are
aware that we exist and they echo.
And over time, they blend with our own thinking. “Some people carry voices in their
head that sound familiar but weren’t freely chosen.”
Self-questioning. Self-editing. Self-erasing. All disguised in our own tone
The Mirror and the Echo
In psychology, this process is known as introjection, absorbing the beliefs of others and
internalizing them as our own, often in exchange for safety, belonging, or acceptance.
But through a spiritual lens, the process runs deeper.
What we often call personality may have begun as protection.
What we describe as “just how I am” may actually be the shape our soul formed in
response to environment, expectation, or pain.
A quiet persona might reflect practiced stillness, rooted in years of feeling unheard.
An achiever’s drive may carry the weight of needing to prove worth.
The emotional burdens we carry often originate in someone else’s story, passed down,
handed off, absorbed as truth.
She grew into an echo. A copy of a copy. Trained by repetition. Layered with adaptation.
Built to survive, not just thrive.
The voice of they doesn’t always come to silence us, it comes to mold us.
To shape a version of us that feels safe in systems, families, communities, and
expectations that often reward performance over presence.
This is the heart of the book THEY.
THEY explores how external voices become internal narratives, and how those
narratives begin to define our identity, our choices, and our sense of worth.
It’s not a book about blame, it’s a book about recognition.
It names the subtle ways we absorb voices from parents, teachers, relationships,
culture, and religious structures, then shows us how to unlearn what no longer serves
us.
Through reflection, soul work, and truth-telling, THEY guides you back to your
God-given voice, the one beneath the echoes.
If the words you speak to yourself often sound like someone else…
If your thoughts carry a tone you never chose…
If you’re ready to stop living as a reflection and start living as your true self…
This is your invitation to begin.
When Familiar Voices Take Sacred Space
At a certain point, the voice of “they” gains authority. What was once opinion begins to
resemble truth.
Guilt can mirror conviction. Shame can take the shape of reverence. Fear can speak
with the tone of discernment. Control can mimic order. Silence can resemble peace.
And over time, the voice that shaped you may begin to sound divine. But speak this
truth, even now: “This voice carries influence, but it doesn’t carry God’s intention.”
The Voice of “They” and the Rise of “I Am”
In the Gospels, Jesus offered a turning point with a single question:
“Who do people say that I am?” — Matthew 16:13
The disciples shared their answers: “Some say John the Baptist. Some Elijah. Some
Jeremiah…” Projections, interpretations, stories passed along.
But then Jesus asked again: “Who do YOU say that I am?”
That moment shifted everything. From the echoes of others to the voice of revelation.
From they said → to I believe.
The voice of they invites shaping. The voice of I Am awakens truth. One must make
space for the other.
This Week’s Unlearning Practice
Take a breath. Get still. Call to mind one belief you carry. One recurring thought that
sounds familiar…But finds its origin in someone else’s voice.
Write it down. Ask God: “Where did this begin?”
Then: “What do You say about it?”
Your mind holds deep wisdom. Your spirit carries God’s voice. Your healing is already
unfolding. This is your starting point. You And your return.
