07/13/2023: Family and the State of the World

I decided I needed a little escape today to the coffee shop while things were calm and quiet. I just had to get away for a minute so I could ground myself to get through the day as I sift through some of my thoughts about family and the world.

I look around and I see a lot of conditional patience and conditional love in the world. And though there are things that maybe I don’t understand - and I can admit that and remove myself from those - I also know that I can be there for the things I do understand and be supportive when I can, especially in regards to loved ones. Family and its meaning changes drastically once you’ve grown up and are able to see it for what it really is. The façade is no longer preserved of the picture perfect life and functional family dynamics because our parents can’t lie to their kids anymore, because they are not, or rather we are not, kids anymore. The magic fades, in a sense, as we become adults ourselves and see that life is oftentimes unforgiving and the world is an indifferent force that can be cruel.

Of course I can sympathize with this struggle to an extent, but I also know that if you let yourself wake up in a negative state of mind and harbor those feelings until you go to sleep that the cycle will never end and you may feel like you can never get out. People can truly be their own worst enemies; the mind is very powerful, and this can be what sets us free or what inevitably buries us in the end. Of course not all problems and the struggles that follow are self inflicted. But we have to pick ourselves up and ask for help. 

If the only thing at stake is pride, then I wish people knew how to put that aside so they could have a real chance at growth and fulfillment. I hate the general state of unease, stress, anger, distrust, and misery that persists in the world. If I could share what I’ve learned and show everyone how to harness the peace and happiness I have come to know and feel for myself and my life in my adult years, I would in a heartbeat. I feel for the ones who are really trying to make their own way and I hope the others will eventually find their way, and their peace.