So while I've been off in "vacation land" and away from writing, Wonko has been writing aggressively. Today he made a post that I think is important enough to share with anyone who is looking to maintain his or her ideals in the face of adversity.
Wonko and I speak frequently. We talk a lot of what it means to have a life of happiness. Some people seek out professional help (to find happiness in their lives) from counselors and psychiatrist, while Wonko and I seem to be in discovery of ourselves through ourselves. As he mentions in his latest blog, people either make decisions about what they're going to do in their lives or those decisions are made for them - made by the society in which they live. The overwhelming power of what "everyone else" is doing will be assumed by the subconscious, healthy or not. In that same breath, fighting against the society or the system of that society can often be more difficult than one can bare, and therefore, they give up, taking the easier side. The society is comprised of those who need it to survive, those that are ignorant to it, and those who make a conscious effort to remove themselves from it.
I find myself caught up in this struggle of seeing both sides and knowing that one is more compliant to my wiring than the other. I see clearly that the society, as it has become, is not one that I wish to be a part of. It’s like trying to paddle up stream against the raging current when everybody else is moving in a different direction than you. I don't have it in me to quit; and I don't really see that as an option, but the struggle can provide so much unhappiness that it sometimes seems the best thing to do is turn your raft around. This is only multiplied when the passengers in your raft don't want to fight the current any longer. If they jump, they might drown. So you’re required to row them to shore, often causing you to lose some of the headway you have made. You spend so much time on the shoreline trying to convince them that the struggle is worth it. Ultimately, you only convince yourself, and thus, continue the journey alone. It's the others, those alone in their boats, their rafts, and canoes that keep you going. It's their words which now inspire, motivate, and convince you to go on.
I can make analogies and excuses all day for why my boat’s not moving, but I know where I want to be, and HAVE made the decision for where to go. Right or wrong, it feels that it's where I am supposed to be. I wrote before about the path and trying to locate it. I honestly believe that if I hadn’t changed before, this would be the place I would have ended up. So I took the long road; I was distracted. I've gotten back. I was constantly paddling to the shore to drop off passengers (most of which were just versions of me) and convince the real me that it was worth the struggle to go on.
I understand what Wonko is trying to say and support him in saying it. I just wish others would understand and start paddling. Pick up the oars that those easily coasting downstream have thrown aside, and use them to make your drive stronger.