Lately, I've been having a lot of conversations about existential crisis, state of ennui, and really, what the heck does it all mean?
More and more people around me seem to be grasping at their place in the world, and even if they have a career, the successful relationship, they are still trying to figure out where they belong, or what they are doing in this world.
A friend asked me today if I've ever seen the movie Fear and Loathing.
I confirmed I had, and we began a brief discussion about Hunter S. Thompson.
I quickly did a search for him, to see what I could find out about him, since I realized my knowledge of the man was lacking.
I posed the question to my friend: "can you imagine having this as part of your biography?"
"He was also known for his use of psychedelics, alcohol, firearms, and his iconoclastic contempt for authoritarianism."
The aforementioned was taken from Wikipedia re: Hunter S. Thompson.
Now, let's think about this.
Here we have a movie - Fear and Loathing - people love this movie -
People loved Hunter S. Thompson - they love reading about him, they love watching movies about him - but the reality is - if you had a friend like this in your life, you probably would be less than impressed with their actions.
...I kept this entry as a draft until today... the first draft was in May...
I'm finally coming back to it in the last week of July..
It feels fitting, as I was watching a bunch of P!nk videos today, and felt the same sort of feelings towards her... she's sexy, amazing - doesn't appear to give a shit what you think of her.
Sometimes I long for this state of mind. Other times, I feel its the exact opposite of what I'm striving for... in that... I do care what impact I make on the world. I want to create a better space for others. I want to tread lighter, do less harm, and not offend others. Sure, you can't please everyone... that's not my intention... but I do want to move more peacefully on this planet. Perhaps that might sound a little euphoric and Utopian... but I like to think of it as more centered and zen.
I try to think about my actions before I do something now. I try to be more thoughtful in my actions, and learn from my mistakes... I want deeper connections with the people that matter, and of course, I want to see the world with that one person by my side eventually, in wide-eyed wonder.
I really don't care about a shiny car, a big house, a white-picket fence, mortgages, how many sq ft' of land I can acquire, or how many labels hang in my wardrobe. What gets me dreaming, is... how many stamps I can cram into my passport, how many km will the wheels on my suitcase clock, and how many times will the shutter on my camera snap?
How many different languages will these two ears hear? How many different ways will I learn how to say "I love you" so I when I have that special person by my side... I can whisper it into her ear, in many different languages...
My Mom always asked me "What are you running from?" ... Well, for the first time, I can honestly say, I can answer her.
"I'm not running. I'm exploring a world of possibilities, and wonder".
After all.
All that wander are not lost.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
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Excellent post and revelation. I too aspire to have a positive impact on those around me - whether it be passively, or actively. It's a difficult thing to practice, but practice does indeed make perfect :)
ReplyDeleteI hope your passport gets so full they have to give you more pages :)