Incognito: The Virtue Of Being Lost
Start writing a post
Featured

Incognito: The Virtue Of Being Lost

We all fear being lost, but it is by being lost that we become who we are.

3833
Incognito: The Virtue Of Being Lost
NICODEMUS, INCOGNITO STYLE, mustardseedblog.net

All my life I have been afraid of being lost. My head glancing to and fro as I search for the right path. A path that so many seek to find, and yet does not and has never existed. Growing up in a Christian school did little to silence the fear but emblazoned it. Being lost in the church meant hell. The thought of your soul tormented for all of eternity makes the idea of being lost more than just frightening, it makes life paralyzing. You sit and wonder about all the ways you may damn your soul, rather than living the life you have. Even at the ripe age of five, I sat pondering the everlasting repercussions of being lost. Many times I’d ask if I was going to heaven, because I needed that reassurance; I needed someone assuring me that I was not lost, never realizing that being lost is the one consistent place for all people. No matter where you are in life, we are always lost; always striving for something more that we can never truly reach.

We constantly say as a society that we need to be found; that we need to find who we are. There is no one to find, though. We are not Greek slate, our tales chilled in place for all eternity by the fates. We are an evanescent progress, an unfinished essay continually being rewritten until we simply pass with a scribbled last line. There is no state in life besides being lost, but for most of my life I could not handle this. I could take the physical, emotional, or spiritual sense of being lost. Even the mere thought of being lost sent me into a deep spiral of anxiety. My eyes squinting at the printed directions against the backdrop of a setting sun. Two hours I had driven, unable to find a way out of the labyrinth that the city of Poughkeepsie had felt like. We fear being lost when we should embrace it.

My view on being lost changed when I went incognito. On a class trip to Paris and London all I did was get lost. The very first museum we visited set the tone for my trip as I separated from the group. Wondering a grand atrium of black walls and black floors that led to sarcophagus as my class glanced at the clay, marble, and paintings of the Renaissance and Romantics. Later as our time abroad neared its end I hopped on the wrong metro train and zoomed off to the middle of nowhere. There standing on an above ground platform I wondered how I went from below ground to above, and yet it forced me to find my way back.

Getting lost is scary, and yet it is by being lost we begin to grow. Taking the wrong metro taught me that I can rely on myself rather than having to always trust and hope in others. The more willing we become with being lost the more independent we begin to become. It was not until I learned to survive lost did I really begin to grow. Where my friends beat against the same paths, new sights appeared before my eyes, I discovered new pathways and entered new buildings. All my life I have been afraid of getting lost, and yet it is when we get lost that we begin to see the potential we all hold. We are all lost, all fleeting towards paths that lead to the same place. Life is not meant to be repetitive, and yet if all we focus on is finding then we never move on to building. Learn to be okay with being lost, with not knowing everything, and you will begin to trust in yourself more and realize that it’s okay to go incognito. It is only when we are lost that we can find all the wonders that life holds.

Report this Content
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58696
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37849
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959406
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

194720
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments