Oftentimes I wonder why certain things happen to certain people. Circumstance, coincidence or luck has made each of us who we are today. I, like many others, am grateful to be alive and have a family, home and opportunities. Yet, I can't help myself from thinking why me? There are billions of people in this world, so why do I live the life I live and is this really what I think it is? What if this so-called "living" we are doing isn’t us living at all, but rather a dream or flashback that our future self is having. These crazy thoughts are things one person might think about late at night, but lately they have been consuming my mind. Instead of pushing them aside, I decided to embrace and think about these mysteries, something we all should do more.
1. Color
No matter what, we will never know if the color blue I see when I look at the sky is the exact same as the blue you see. As of right now, it is impossible to see through our neighbor’s eyes to compare the colors.
2. Dreaming
What if I am stuck in a dream right now as I am writing this and unable to wake up? A different mother I could have could be trying to shake me awake for school, but I am unresponsive living in this illusion.
3. Places
Out of the 195 countries in the world, I am in the United States. In a state and county that is safe. I have water and I have food. I have a roof over my head. Many people are denied these necessities in underdeveloped countries, such as Ethiopia. I am no better than a starving child there, yet I am the one who goes to bed with full stomach and heart every night, while they do not. It is not fair and I cannot quite understand why I am here.
4. Parallel Universe
If a parallel universe were real, who am I really? Are we living in a parallel universe right now? Maybe in my real state I am cruel and boring and that self is wondering if there is a parallel universe where I am kind and outgoing.
5. Immensity
In the grand scheme of things, if you were gone, the world wouldn't care. Sure, your family and friends would be heartbroken and feel hopeless, but the world will keep spinning, people will continue their busy lives and things will continue onward without noticing the loss of a human body because, well, another human was probably just born somewhere just as you passed.
6. Time
Time is scary. There never seems to be enough of it. It's like our life is ticking away. Time flies, but the good news? We are each the pilot of time and can choose to make the most of every 60 seconds that passes. You have exactly the same amount of hours in a day that Helen Keller, Albert Einstein and Michelangelo had. If you dare to waste your time, you have not yet discovered the value of life.
7. Death
There is one quote that sums up how I feel about death: "The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside us while we live." Don't die while you are still here. Death is going to be so much easier than life. It will be paradise. This is just the test we have to ace before we are able to start truly living with God.
8. Happiness
As a society we are so consumed with trying to be happy. We all know that our time here on earth is relatively short and we should make the most out of it, but God wanted us to feel all emotions not just this never attainable goal of happiness. Happiness is an emotion, not a destination. It's OK to not be happy just like it's OK to be hungry. Nothing will make you happy until you make the choice to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.
9. Perception
We spend a great deal of our life consumed about what we want other people to think about us, even though they aren't thinking about us because they're too consumed with what they want other people to think about them. Honestly, there is no truth; there is only perception. It's not what you look at that matters; it's what you see.
10. Oblivion
There was a time on earth before we existed and there will be a time after. No humans will be here, and no organisms will either. The friendships we have made, the stories we have written, the places we have seen they will mean nothing, they will be nothing. Oblivion. It's like our second death. The one where we are forgotten. Don't ignore this scary fact like everyone else. Embrace it; it might be the only thing that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.
11. Fear
There are some dark thoughts above that may trigger fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the unthinkable. But know that fear is not real. It is the product of thoughts you create. Danger is real; fear is a choice. If you live in fear of your past becoming your future you will never live because you'll never be in the present and this might as well just be a dream.
