Restraining Constraints

Humans are instinctual beings. We are all bound by what values we hold important, be it positive or negative, moral or immoral, so on and so forth. Some may impact peoples' lives and could potentially be a matter of life and death, and others...well, some others make no sense whatsoever.

For example.

Obsession and infatuation are like self-induced poisons. They spawn from a human and exist usually because of humans. They carry no importance or benefit for either party, and, in the end, push both parties away from each other. Furthermore, these traits are rarely positive. More times than not, the individual will find that situations completely irrelevant to his or her life happen to impact him or her directly-- usually of the individual's own will.

Yet people can't seem to acknowledge the obsessive nature of the self, and continue as if everything will miraculously work out if they continue their actions. They put themselves in denial, tell themselves, "everything will be alright" and pursue their wants and desires, like mindless puppets. And, like mindless puppets, some may never understand that a little use of the brain is all we need to get ourselves onto the right path, where our actions lead to a greater meaning in our lives.

I will not pretend as if I do not exhibit the above-mentioned examples. My purpose of this post is not of a rant, nor is it of accusation to anyone in particular. But I want to get people thinking -- people including myself-- and to start restraining the constraints that bind so many into a cycle of pity and regret. Take a step back from the words that are said on a normal basis, and the manners that are acted, and ask the self if it is what one wants to display to the public, to friends, family, or anyone else that happen to be involved. Be aware that unusual actions and behavioral patterns might not be the best path to take, as that may hurt, more than help. If we can all start thinking and are capable of freeing our minds from our instincts, we can turn obsession, infatuation, greed, pride and hate, into actions that will guide us to that dream we all strive to achieve.

And all it takes is practice.

To Run Away From It All

I am definitely not the first one, nor will I be the last, to question the purpose of what one defines as life. For some, it is to live for the deities they choose to believe in. For others, it is to accumulate the unit called money that runs the entire planet. And for others, it is to seek the "meaning" of life, and to say that one knows the meaning of life means just as much as the other individual who claims the same claim. I will not say that these actions are meaningless. But where does all this take us?

This is a depressing, and rather cliche, statement, but everyday, people die. Elderly people, who once were in their prime, who lived out their lives according to what they held important, and who were images of the generations before them that lived a similar routine. And young people, who perhaps were at the "wrong place at the wrong time," or felt obligated to share their views with the world, rebelliously, forcefully, or peacefully. And these people-- millions of people who live-- pass on, are mourned for, and... then what? The woman who worked everyday for thirty-five years in Southern Africa passes away from a common disease, and what of it? What is used as a meager attempt to answer such a depressing, pessimistic question? "Life goes on. Life is unfair."

And the people move on with their lives-- the lives that they live according to their opportunities and advantages. The smart individual receives the degree, and owns a business. The attractive woman becomes a singer, and a celebrity. The child born in the slums learns how to stay alive by stealing. The only similarity between all of these is that eventually, they will pass away, and new people are born again to mimic, replace and copy those same roles, which they will go to define as "their lives."

And is that the extent of our time on Earth? Am I-- a generic student who strives to receive an education to make money, at the cost of money-- supposed to live out a life similar to countless others born before me, or at the same time as me, or after me? To be so incredibly insignificant in the "grand scheme of things?" Most people would say, "Yes. Because life goes on."

I don't want to live the life of so many others. Foreseeing the future is almost too easy, since the proof is all around me, in one manner or another. The classic situation of the student who took out loans to have fun in college, only to pay it back later, whilst paying bills and taxes is, in my opinion, not the life anyone yearns for. What is the reason of working so hard, attaining so much knowledge, learning from all the experiences if one just passes on by, just like another fallen leaf in the wind?

So many rules to abide by. So many restrictions, limits, and shortcomings.

I want to live the life no one can live. I want to live an impossibility. A dream. I want to run away from it all.

I believe that that would be, at the very least, a real life to have. Because if one lives in that manner, it would be what others could never achieve. It would be the one that made it through the sea of endless cycles and routines that people drag themselves through, and call their "lives."