I don’t mean physically feel things. Yes, it is nice to feel warm sun on your skin or cold wind on your cheeks. It is nice to feel the touch of someone else or be wrapped in a blanket. Those things are all great, but they are not the most important kind of feeling.
What I’m talking about is deeper than that. I’m talking about feeling things in your heart, in your soul. I’m talking about loving things and hating things. I’m talking about being sad and being angry and being happy. I’m talking about surrounding yourself with people and art that make you laugh and cry and love. I’m talking about caring.
When did we decide that it was lame to care? I am so sick of people being afraid to admit that they like the things they like, or being afraid to care about school. Stop being afraid to get excited about things or people or life in general. Why are we so afraid to admit we have feelings or that we care? Is it because we think it’s cool? Is it cool not to care? I personally don’t think it is and it makes me sad when people with incredible potential disappear because they think they’re “too cool” to enjoy learning and creating.
It’s not cool to act like you don’t care about school. It’s not cool to pretend you’re too good to go to class or study or participate. Being dedicated is cool. Being smart is cool. Going to class and learning things and bettering yourself is cool. Making things and doing things and trying things is cool.
It’s not cool to act like you don’t care about what is going on in the world, your life. You don’t seem mysterious. You don’t seem better than anyone else. You seem lost. You seem scared.
“The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.” –V.S. Naipaul
If you aren’t experiencing life, if you aren’t letting yourself create your life, then who are you? How can you grow into who you’re supposed to be if you don’t care to try? Feeling and caring and being are how you know you’re alive. It’s how you know who you are and where you belong.
As a person that feels a lot of things, I feel sorry for you. Experiencing life deeply, feeling emotions, getting excited about things: this is what life is about. This is what makes up who you are.
My favorite line from a great song (Amos Lee, “Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight) is “I’m in love with a girl who’s in love with the world and I can’t help but to follow.” I can honestly say that I am in love with the world, every part of it. Sometimes it’s messy, sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s cold, but it’s always beautiful. Things don’t always work out. They don’t always go my way, but at least I gave it a shot. At least, at the end of the day, I cared enough to try.
Even if you may not love the world yet, but you’re working on it, surround yourself with people that do. Take up residence in the lives of people that see the beauty in every day. Follow them. They won’t mind, and eventually, you’ll have people following you.
