So I've always had this problem... I've always had trouble fitting into society. For a number of reasons I suppose, but today I'll focus on just one of them, probably the most important one. It has to do with passion, with its repression and its pursuit.
You see it's not a big secret anymore that there is a specific way we're supposed to live life in our society. You are born, you go to school, you go to university, you get a job, you get married, you buy a house, you have kids, you get old, you retire and then you die. That's it, that's the mold, the prime directive, the great equation of modern life. It's not very different from following a recipe if you want to make some brownies. Follow the recipe and you're good. Follow the recipe and you'll fit in. Congratulations, you're now a good, productive member of society. Thank you for being compliant and have a good life!
The problem is, of course, when you decide not to follow the magic recipe.You become an outcast, a social misfit. People do not understand you and they do not like you. Because you're not like them. If you're one of those misfits, chances are you're gonna have a tough life. Unfortunately for me, of course, that is precisely my situation. So just in case you happen to be one of those misfits too, I'll just keep writing so you know you're not alone.
The thing is, this particular breed of misfit which I happen to identify with is usually very concerned about something most people tend to forgo as they grow old and wise (or so they might think). This particular kind of misfit places an obscene amount of importance on something we could define as "passion". I'm talking, of course, about those things they are truly passionate about in life.
Unfortunately for the misfit, it is not easy to truly pursue passion in life, specially as an adult. Remember, passion is not one of the ingredients of life's recipe according to modern society. Not only that, the pursuit of passion often conflicts with one of the key elements of said equation, that is, getting and working a job until you're allowed to finally retire some 40 years later. In fact, pursuing your true passions is so hard that the vast majority of people end up, at some point in their lives, giving up on them.
You see, giving up on your passions has some perks. First of all, it is actually a whole lot easier than pursuing your passions and getting a boring job that pays the bills. Things like becoming a writer, a musician or an artist are definitely not easy to accomplish. To achieve some degree of success in most common jobs is infinitely easier and less stressful. Also, giving up on your passions will actually, for the most part, allow you to fit in much better with the vast majority of your relatives, friends and people in general. Again, society wants you to fit in, to follow the magic recipe. And of course, working a stable job and letting your passions go or turning them into simple "hobbies" will definitely make you a better candidate for getting a loan to buy a car or a house. Forgoing your passions definitely makes life easier!
I'm here to tell you though, that is not enough. Not to me at least, and I don't think it should be enough for you either. This is because I believe one should not aspire to live an easy life, but rather a happy, meaningful and fulfilling life. A life driven by passion instead of comfort or fear or money or big cars and shiny objects. You are not the content of your wallet. You are not the car you drive. You are not the house you live in. You are much more than that. You are your dreams and ambitions and the courage to pursue them. This, I believe, is what truly defines you as a human being.
We have a responsibility towards ourselves to stick to our passions even when it is difficult to do so. To follow our dreams and remain ambitious even when we are surrounded by mediocrity and surrounded by people who will doubt us and criticize us as we fight to accomplish our goals. I believe that, today, in our day, we misfits should band together in order to inspire people to build a different society, one that is guided by the pursuit of passion rather than the pursuit of profit.
No comments:
Post a Comment