Lately, I’ve become obsessed with the phrase, “Ride or die.” Admittedly, I have only just seen the Fast and Furious movies. What? No, of course they’re amazing. The Wiz got it right when he wrote the lyric, “How can we not talk about family, when family’s all that we’ve got? Everything I went through, you were standing by my side.” Isn’t that the focus not only of “See You Again,” but also of the whole series? The general theme is, of course, ride or die. Because I’m a trivia addict and, on occasion, insufferably curious, I looked up the phrase to figure out just who the heck said it first. Not surprisingly, Google left me with several definitions, but no luck on the origin. (Just in case you’re dying to know, my history buff co-worker guesses Vietnam War era, because of the commonly used phrase “It’s time to fly or die.”)
Regardless if you’re a Furious fan or if you’ve heard the phrase but could care less about seeing Paul Walker and Vin Diesel blow stuff up (What is wrong with you?) you can deduce where this is going. Ride or die is a phrase that represents an unbreakable bond between two partners. Think of a wedding, without the vows and stuffy dresses.
Ride or die means to stick by your partner's side through thick and thin, through the bad and the worse. My question is, who said this phrase is restricted to partners? What about your other commitments in life? Don't get me wrong, I'm a hopeless romantic, but it's important that we all recognize something. Your first commitment is to yourself: your dreams, your passions, your people. You've heard the phrase, "Everybody dies but not everyone lives." I've got news for you, folks: in order to truly live, it's time to ride or die by your aspirations.
Over the years, it's inevitable that your dreams were shot down. Your parents worried over your potential lack of income. Your advisor scoffed at the idea of you as a cardiothoracic surgeon, or maybe somebody once told you that your talent is minimal in a one in a million industry. The point is, we've all felt the sting of inadequacy. So let's take a breath for a moment. Let's pretend we don't belong to this desert of isolation and unravel the universe. That's right, the universe. There's a whole world out there just waiting for you to seize it.
“This is one corner… of one country, in one continent, on one planet that’s a corner of a galaxy that’s a corner of a universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much, so much to see.” -- Doctor Who, Season Seven, Episode Four.
If that doesn't overwhelm you with the most twisted combination of excitement and calm, I don't know what will. When you choose to ride by your dreams, your ambitions, you are refusing to let this little corner of the universe destroy you. You refuse to die. Isn't it funny that no matter how many people dare utter the words to you, "You're not worth it," the only one of them who decides your fate is you? If you will fight for your man, fight for your sisters, how hard can it be to take a stand for yourself? At one point in time, you knew with all the confidence in the world that you had purpose as an artist, surgeon, rock star, insert-career-here. Find that feeling again, and refuse to let anyone take your purpose from you.
Listen to me, friends. Life bites, hard. Your relationships, jobs, and everything else that is worth anything will put you through hell to keep the peace. Think about it this way: when you run, your calves burn. That's because they tighten and become stronger. When you get sick, your body is taking care of itself to become healthier. Most things that hurt or tire you are what matter most, because they bring you to higher ground. Without the fight, there is no "ride or die." There's only "die."
In a world that demands instant gratification and people who rely on others to make themselves happy, be the one person you're capable of being without help. Be yourself. Commit to your goals and passions, if you want to experience fulfillment. The only way to survive this life and come out a champion is to ride or die on your own strength.
