Life is Unreasonable and Make Believe

I went to a camera shop to pick up a new lens, and the cashier spent an unreasonable amount of time explaining to me why she doesn’t support photography anymore. First thought was: okay then, why do you work here? I can see how this would have been an awkward interaction because here I am, investing in new equipment, and sis leads with “photography is a distraction”…I agreed with her though. She was actually incredibly reasonable. 

I write a lot about success, time, freedom, and opportunity. It governs the way we think and build our sense of self. So, when I have conversations about the hobbies I have, the parts of my life I show on social media, why I do things, and what my ultimate goal is, I have to think to myself: what is the true purpose that I am fulfilling? Who am I really serving? What happens if I do not deliver? All the famous rappers, musicians, athletes, inventors, and visionaries who we KNOW were talented and who we thought were headed for greatness, but who just didn’t make it, what happens to them? What actually happens when you don’t reach your full potential?

Nothing. 

It technically doesn’t matter. Humans operate with this grand sense of importance that is fabricated entirely in the mind. At some point in history, there was a huge misunderstanding amongst each other as to why humans are on Earth (we are here to build community and grow shit, but someone decided we are here for wealth building and ruling civilizations) and now, we live on the surface of our nature. We perform for each other, seek status and wealth, and live everyday with the looming anxiety of “what if I never become what I want to become” but essentially, you will still “be”.

You will still experience happiness, sadness, loss, hunger, and sensuality the same. You can wake up tomorrow and decide to “be” something else. I can say that the reason why you may never reach full potential is directly related to how you utilize your free time. I can also say that if you never reach full potential, you will honestly be okay. Both in the same breath. As abstract as this may sound, nothing really matters and everything is make believe. We pick our roles by the trades we choose: cooks, designers, singers, writers, analysts, engineers, entrepreneurs. It’s literally like SIMS and it’s not that deep. You will be just fine. Each of us is a small part of something much larger, something more fragile than it seems. 

The way we exist in society is our participation in a larger system of power and control. Everything and anything for our daddy, capitalism. Our tools, our mediums of expression, the jobs we pick, the clothes we wear, everything is in favor of how we want to present ourselves,  how we wish to be perceived, how much money we want to make, and the status in society that we aspire to hold. In total: for our “survival”. You are only outside of this if you a) don’t own a phone, b) don’t watch TV or read the news, or c) live in the woods without contact with any socialized human beings. As long as you are socialized, you are within the confines of our capitalist society. 

My point is that it’s okay to fail and pivot. It’s okay to fail and try again. It’s okay to fail and do nothing. Your contribution to society is only as good as how you treat yourself. Do you sleep enough, eat the right foods, respect your neighbors, and tell your friends that you love them? Do you respect the God that you worship or the principals you standby? The title that you hold in public society is only your secondary identity. Before spending so much time investing in that, understand who you are in private. Make mistakes with kindness and grace. 

The public figures that we have canceled haven’t died, they’ve pivoted. You can always pivot. If you didn’t get the role, didn’t make the team, didn’t get picked, you can pivot. You don’t just dissipate. You decide to do different. That’s what we were intended to do. Grow, evolve, and change our minds. Be flexible and sit into your humanity. Be chaotic.

Written for Flawed Talents, LLC.