Redefining my direction

change

As society becomes more and more digitized, it seems that original ideas become fewer … which somehow seems backwards. The “information age” allows us to express our ideas by basically borrowing those of others … I would say a better description of the times is the “meme age”. Where once social networking was inundated with people telling us what they are doing every five minutes, now we seem to be bombarded with words of wisdom on pleasant pictures … all too often the same words over and over again. This is not to say that the words are not worth sharing, but somehow when they keep being repeated, they lose some of their presence. But every once in a while a bit of fresh wisdom reappears, and words regain a new sense of life. I recently encountered the meme above, and it was a cool breeze shifting some stale air.

We all have opinions. Opinions are unavoidable. And every time we express a thought, the expression will be colored by our opinions. Even this little ramble is filled with my opinions. But there is a difference between stating an idea colored by our own personality, and trying to force our ideas on others … even if the force is gentle. Once upon a time I did not so much offer opinions as offer alternative ideas, and let people do with them what they will. But, especially in recent months, my own frustration at the rampant willful ignorance in the world has made me more aggressive in expressing my thoughts. I find that I have slipped more into the mode of preacher than idea sharer … to my own discomfort.

Since the universe in no way revolves around me, I would not presume to say that the meme was put there to send me a message. Yet I do believe that we all will learn lessons when we need them most, or maybe when we are most open to them. As soon as I saw the meme, I realized that this needs to be my new mantra, or maybe the mantra I need to return to. I have been so caught up with my own seeming impotence that I have started to become that which I condemn the most … the “revolutionary” who hides behind words.

I think that is part of what I am seeking in my coming adventure … a return to living my ideals instead of just talking about them. I hope to not only reconnect with the world that I am supposed to be part of, but to to reconnect with the core of me again. I have been drifting, but in a stagnant pool. I need to return to floating on the ever changing breezes of the world. I am not going to change the world with words. I may not be able to change the world at all. But I can return to living life as I wish to live it. It is not my place to tell others how to live. But it IS my place to live life as I choose to live it. If others take something from the example of me being me, than maybe I will have done good.

I cannot change the nature of the roads into the future. But I CAN change how I travel along them.