So many times in our lives we let fear make the most essential and monumental of our decisions. We have a great many reasons and justifications for this, most of which are entirely valid but none of which negate the fact that the core reason we do not pursue our passions is because we are to busy chasing the perfect circumstances to pursue them in. Please don’t interpret this as a tirade against having a job; that is not my intention. Feel free, however, to interpret this as a tirade against the notion that working a job you hate is a necessary evil for ninety percent of the population.
I believe there is a better way.
But it requires something of us that we are not in want of relinquishing. It requires us to give up our safety; our comfort. It requires us to risk utter failure in exchange for our soul. Too many of us let ourselves be imprisoned by seventy thousand a year and a boat when we are meant for so much more. Maybe not more monetarily, that depends on the individual, but more in the sense of a deep irreplaceable fulfillment; a knowing that despite our sometimes dicey circumstances, we are right where we are supposed to be.
I believe that we as a culture place a higher value on safety and respectability than leading a life of love and meaning. I refuse to conform to the all too common standard of trading my dreams, desires, passions and skills for a “safe” career and a “respected” place in society. What purpose is there in holding the respect of our peers when we cannot look in a mirror without the void in our hearts telling us we’ve betrayed the person staring back? Our world doesn’t need any more respectable citizens; it needs people who would rather lead a life of misunderstood meaning than one of relatable misery.
There is no template for a life of meaning. For some it is living in mud huts, showing orphans that love is real and anyone can experience it, for others it’s closing deals, for others still; woodworking. The most exciting and intimidating part of discovering your own personal art is fact that what worked for others may or may not work for you. It’s a beautiful thing to admire our heroes, peers and predecessors; but it’s a betrayal to ourselves and the world around us to try to become them. We cannot be all things to all men, we will never please everyone, so we must choose. Society can keep it’s safety, I choose risk. I choose love. I choose to find my art and pursue it with relentless passion and I hope you choose to join me.
Hopecloaked 