I often wonder what it is to be a human, BEING.
I mean, we’re in these little protoplasmic vessels, which we more or less have control of, but our minds go far beyond that. And every one of us has the capacity to imagine, to transcend the tiny being which we call “human”.
We do it in art, music, writing, and in our dreams. We can dance to express our emotions, act to show that we can do more than just be one person, despite our outer appearance and countenance.
If we CAN be anyone, or anything, what makes us settle on one or two possibilities for our entire life? We have goals, ambitions, and desires which drive us to do things. And most of these were inculcated in us as we developed from young children. Our parents showed us our ‘position’ in life, and our status introduced us to our limitations. We took it for granted that we had a certain amount of freedom to explore our world, and watched others as they explored theirs. For the most part, we decided that because of our ‘start’, we could only go so far in life. We were free to ‘dream’, but rarely did we dare to proceed beyond that. Fireman, ballerina, doctor, archaeologist, actor, athlete, musician, so many choices of social icons!
We learned to talk, to walk, to bathe, eat, and dress. All the things we needed to know to be able to survive in this little world. We learned how to interact, to converse, to play, to learn, and to think like others do, to make sure we ‘fit in’ our social strata.
We’re sent to school, to absorb the information we need to know to get out, get a job, and support our ‘government’, which tells us what we can, and cannot do.
Then, we were set in front of a television set, to see how others have made a life in the entertainment world. From troubadours to jesters, to traveling storytellers, there has always been a desire to perform, to transcend the ‘norm’, and for the rest of us to watch these people do what some have the desire to do, but are afraid to, or just be entertained by them, and live vicariously through them. The “I could do that, if…” kind of mentality.
And now, THESE performers have become our social icons, and we’re amazed, shocked, and saddened when they don’t live up to our expectations. After ALL, this is for which we ALSO strive! If they can be corrupted, or vulnerable, or stupid, or weak, that means perhaps they’re actually HUMAN, too…and that can’t be good! We see them on the television, and on the movie screen, and on the basketball and tennis courts, and they’re bigger than life, so they MUST be beyond mere humanity! They do things which I admire, and I have them in my house, at least once a week, so they surely must know me, TOO! When and if I ever see them in person, they’ll surely recognize me, and love ME, too! How could they NOT?? They do things that show me the possibilities of MYSELF, and it makes me feel GOOD! They need to KNOW this…! THEN, I can die, happy.
Now, we have little aphorisms, and boxes of encouragement on our Facebook pages go by our eyes, and we have to stop to READ them…There’s GOTTA be one which will make a difference in my life, and when I share it, it will change the world! There are even whole PAGES of “Don’t worry…be happy” ideals for us to peruse, and try to embody. “Well…if I’m not ALONE here, maybe there’s a chance for happiness, after all!” One of these amazing quotes or poems, or pictures is all I need to change my life! Maybe the NEXT one…
We read these things, and say “That’s what I need to DO..!” and go on to the NEXT one, hoping to find encouragement to go on with our lives, as they are. “I’ll post THIS one on my page, so everyone who reads it will feel better about themselves, like I did when I read it.” Then the world will be a better place. And we move on to the NEXT bit of encouragement. “Ohhhh…THIS will show my friends that I think more about life than they currently imagine. It shows how DEEP I really am.” It does, too. But it also shows how sad everyone is, down inside. We need encouragement DAILY if not more often, to get us through the day.
What a world. What a life! We’re LOOKING for “happiness”, for “fulfillment”, for “peace” in our lives! Such insanity.
What if someone told you that “happiness”, “joy”, “fulfillment”, “fear”, “love”, and “peace” were CHOICES that you made, every moment of your life? How would that change your perception of the things your chase after, every day? Maybe the next iPhone or brand new car or someone in your life to love you, ISN’T the answer, after all.
“I’m just looking for happiness” you might hear yourself say. “I’m just LOOKING for peace” If you’re constantly LOOKING, then you’ve already programmed YOURSELF to say it’s not within your reach, already! It’s just beyond the next horizon, “somewhere, over the rainbow…”.
Our brains decode that which we ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘smell’, ‘taste’, and ‘feel’, among so many other things we’re not even aware of. This is the only device we have to tell us that we are in this world. If we could never see, what would we IMAGINE the world and its inhabitants to look like? If we could never hear, what would we decide the SOUNDS must be? Helen Keller had to decide for herself using a very limited amount of sensory input what her world was like, and it only took one person to help her realize that what was possible was infinite.
If we could ALSO see this possibility, and given our considerably more advantageous sensibilities to do so, what then, would we do to extend our reach? Something to THINK about.