B.I.B.L.E (Broadening Instructions Before Leaving Earth)

I find it funny that we’re eager to announce what a small world we live in every time we bump into an old friend’s acquaintance, yet seeing strangers everyday doesn’t always inspire the analogous thought of how big the world is. It’s funny to me -not just because of my special sense of humor- as friends and acquaintances were once strangers, and still are to an extent. Point being the world is neither little nor large but anywhere along the scale, constantly in motion relative to our growing consciousness. There is no black and white, just infinite shades of in-betweens.

Do we even know why we are here? And do we have to agree on it with one-another? The fact of the matter is that there are too many different schools of thought for any of them to claim to be the only truth. Especially since most ideology-pushers are born into their respective ways rather than striving for their own proofs. For me, it is not what we believe in that defines us but why we believe it. Do we believe because we see or because we were told; because of hope or fear; love or greed? Regardless, we have to accept that our time on Earth is finite, and beautiful because of it. Time is money but non-refundable, and emotions are the currencies that make it priceless.

Some feelings are better than others, yet it’s a sad truth that the Natural Lottery dictates the gradients of our emotional rollercoasters. Most human beings are born less fortunate than the rest and have little to no choice in what they have to do to get by. For the majority of the rest, age-old societal forces of control and greed create mindsets that convince us that we should do things as they are and not how we like. Breaking free of such a mindset by doing more of what makes you happy is what the pursuit is all about. The pursuit is an anecdote for the hourglass, a cure for the ticking in our veins.

Call it your pursuit of meaning, happiness or flow - it’s yours to define, or find no reason to. Doing what you love implies there doesn’t have to be a destination to make the journey worthwhile. The appeal to the artist is in the process of creation. By making the fruit of your labour the labour itself, results become a bonus and not an expectation for your sacrifice. That’s more-than-useful in a world that likes to donate its proverbial lemons.

Still on my marks, I can’t claim to know much about fulfilling the pursuit in a sustainable way. Separately, I have learned that there is no one way to do anything. Not even a best way, but there is a best way for each of us, as personal or inclusive of others as we see fit. Progress in the traditional sense is moving towards complexity and efficiency. Yet it could be moving towards simplicity, deliberation or relaxation. It’s all relative to the applications of our pursuits.

Another thing I’ve come to understand is that whilst visions are motivating, I don’t find the need to have the whole path mapped out, especially if I’m moving in a direction that’s encouraging. By remaining flexible, I create an environment that promotes adaptability and limits disappointment. Still, mindfulness is crucial to the pursuit: for understanding why I’m eager for certain experiences; in foreseeing pitfalls; to identify opportunities for furthering my self-investment. Being mindful outlines the reason behind our pursuits, that applied knowledge is power to do what you want.

You may not know yet what it is that you want to do. Just look around you. The variations in this life are limitless. You won’t have to travel far to interact with different thinkers, and it only takes a little courage to explore something new. Learning about what others love to do inspires thoughts about your own time-consumption and how happy you are about it. Even when you meet someone you’re not particularly fond of, you gain what qualities you want to avoid. The eye-opening state of culture shock begins to uncover some truths that are universal, that life is not a game of us versus them, it’s about who you are versus who you want to become. Your existence is meaningless or meaningful, and your efforts decide the suffix.