It is one of humanity’s greatest flaws that we, the self serving individual, covet more than what is already before us. In a hunger that’s insatiable, we allow ourselves to be distracted by the ephemeral glamour that’s somehow connected to what we don’t already posses. As in Dante’s fourth circle, where this incontinence yields selfish indulgence, stimulating greed and ingratitude.
However, I might argue that it is one of humanity’s greatest strengths that we, the individual, wonder beyond what is already before us. We question what is for what might become. Not for lack of appreciation, but with a child-like curiosity and fascination for what might be.
At the intersection of what is present and what is beyond, lies the foundation of this very notion: fragility. The very capacity for what is fragile is unfaltering, resolute. It is what characterizes humanity, a constant which finds itself in every strength and weakness — that life is fragile.
In this very year, our lives have transformed in ways unimaginable. To recognize, moreover to appreciate the fragility of what surrounds us, and the experiences we endure, will form our person in the years to come.
Life is fragile, so be kind to yourself and accept your kindness. When you step outside of the bearings of your home, be kind not only to yourself, but to the strangers you encounter. Be kind to all of the creatures we cohabitate this planet with.
Life is all entangled, and every event — however inconsequential it may seem — leads to another. This chain of action outlives our attention span, and it grows beyond that which we can see. You give life to what you give energy to. The onset of this action may grow into the unimaginable.
How beautiful yet daunting it is that because a butterfly flapped its wings somewhere, another reality will change shape in its entirely. I’ll yearn to understand, and will marvel over the inter-workings of the universe, for such vision lapses in the hands of the individual. Until then, be kind. Not for social gratification or transitory reward, but for your soul and being. Treat people with kindness.
Life is fragile, so allow yourself to feel and be honest with yourself. There is no purpose in living your life in a way which paints an illusion. It’s a waste of energy, as no other person will perceive you in the way that you perceive yourself. In our lifetime, where every day is a gift with infinite possibilities, what is the purpose in agonizing over a factor which is entirely out of your control?
I beg of you to be honest with yourself, with your inner being which is feeling from your actions so delicately. Do all things with purpose and own them, while trusting yourself fully. Trust is growth which must be cultivated within you. Trust is allowing yourself to listen to the feelings which arise within you.
Life is fragile, so be curious in the pursuit of knowledge. In the pursuit of self. In the pursuit of others.
To quote the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames. One should set fire to, and give life to the passion behind this curiosity, that which exists beyond our reality. To indulge within the embers of that fire is to nourish our ever yearning for more understanding. Realize the precipice of what is curiosity and what is avarice.
Curiosity at the root is finding an appreciation for our every day, not taking anything for granted — but wanting to know more. To wonder about that which we can’t see. We won’t always know why, or how, or for what reason, but we’ll fan the flames anyways.
The secret for harvesting from existence the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment is to live dangerously. The ideology of Friedrich Nietzsche harps on the extrication of the individual from the confines of safety and self. He reminds us that life is fragile, so be adventurous. To venture into the unknown and accept the insecurity in which the unknown may bring into our lives is to live life to its full potential. It is to accept that without any apparent reason, anything may disappear at any moment. Yet simultaneously, anything may come into fruition.
The abyssal nature of the unknown adds to its allure, perhaps granting it it depth and meaning. To venture beyond the walls of our foresight is to be adventurous, and is to pleasure the soul. It is to allow the unknown to share a potential for uncovering a little bit more of who we are.
And lastly, life is fragile — so be vulnerable. Being wholly yourself and sharing that to its full capacity with the world is intimidating. Even with all of the confidence, and all the bravery, society asks too much of oneself. In fact, it doesn’t even ask — it takes. It feeds off of everything which makes you, you. It presents it back to you in a warped dimension, without any apologies or forewarnings. It waits on your reaction, it burrows its way inside your mind. But I’m asking you not to let this harrow your luster or the entirety of being you, and everything that means.
Before you go, let me remind you of this. You were created by the universe to exist in this exact moment in time, to be exactly where you are now. The universe sought you to be so absolutely necessary, it found a way to plant you on this Earth, within this galaxy, out of all the galaxies existing in the Milky Way — to be specific. This exact moment in time, and everything you’re facing, the universe found you to be absolutely essential to the fiber of its being.
You are the universe in ecstatic motion.
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Categories: on the real
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