Hello Everyone,
Its been about six months. It has been a consistent pattern of school and work; combined with intermittent intervals of stress. However, all of these events and experiences are not for nothing. I had just graduated from college on Sunday! For the past month I have been thinking about life as usual, but much more in-depth this time around.
For myself, all of the trials and tribulations we face may at times allow us to feel helpless if not upset. Yet, each event that occurs attribute to our future experiences it would seem. You get hurt one day, you learn to avoid pain in the next. You feel happy another day, you learn to feel happy then next day. Of course feeling happy is easier said than done. Things get in the way. An old professor of mine would say, "Life gets in the way of life." Though we stride to retain a sense of overall well-being, both the people and world around us may interfere at times. This may seem like common sense, yet as many philosophers have stated, common sense isn't.
LifeI have heard some say that happiness is the meaning of life. However, perhaps happiness is not the meaning of life, but simply just the result of a meaningful one. So what may be critical for many, is to discover what makes one's life meaningful. That sounds like a given, yet I feel that it is something that gets lost and needs to be considered. I honestly do not know what makes life meaningful because it is something that is unique for everyone. In other words, I'm not so sure what would make my own life meaningful, but I suppose that this discovery is the purpose of living.
What makes your life meaningful?
People? Location? Job? Friends? Love? Perhaps it is every and all aspects of our existence, which we would then begin to account for everything in our lives. Why would our purpose be limited to one thing? Though living for one thing may seem admirable and romantic on paper, it deviates from reality.
Besides, having too much of a single good thing can be negative. A superficial example of this may be eating too much candy. I love candy. However, eating too much can make me sick and it may also contribute to cavities if I am not careful! We take things in moderation. Love is great, but when your are smothered...its can be aggravating.
Are the answers to life simple? Of course not. Life in itself is not simple. I'm reminded of a song entitled, “The Simple Life” by The Weepies; its easy to think and sing about isolated aspects of our existence that would indeed make our lives simple. However, life complex, not simple. I remember being told that individuals are afraid of what they do not know, in fact I believe I've even heard that in movies and read that in books. It is as if we all should already know this. It feels as if fear is what drives us to ignore or drive away from the overwhelming or confusing aspects of life. In doing so, we are not moving forward. It reminds me of someone who gets a new job, married, or has a child, but is suddenly doubtful of his or her life choices. How we think, how we feel, and how we behave may conflict with one another and cause unfortunate cognitive dissonance. If the complexities of our thoughts are not simple, life wouldn't be either. For all I know, I may not be making any sense...
Perhaps for myself, I need to understand more about...myself.
Life isn't a dream, but it allows us to
LoveIs as complicated as life can be. Also one of the most complicated constructs to measure and define (thank you tests and measurements!). Objectively it appears to be the same for many people if not everyone, which may account as to why many instances of romance can be generalized to a large portion of the population (just type “romance” in the search!). What makes love unique is not based on how you feel, rather in the reasons why you love.
ArtI have not taken a photograph in about 6 months! I do have an idea stirring, but you will just have patient if you want to see it. I have, however, been painting. I will probably begin posting some paintings very soon. I had recently taken a painting class and was astounded by the differences in artistic interpretation from Art students versus Psychology students! As I painted, people cared. As they observed, students analyzed. We had critique days, in which students would present their work to be...critiqued! However, some Art students are very biased to their own style of art, and would critique based on what THEY would do as opposed to “what the artist's intentions were.” It was interesting coming from a psychological standpoint.
Where do I go now?
Forward.
-Casey Arakawa
P.S. - On a random note: I was just eating some potato salad, and I realized that I'm practically eating a bowl of mayonnaise. I ate it anyway.
Wherever I go. Wherever you are.
Yearning
dA Love
