On Graduation

by kenyantraveller

I guess I’ve always believed that it was important for people to realise that one doesn’t need to be great in order to change society. If I were to have a life’s work, I would like for it to be inspiration for ordinary people in ordinary life to aspire to be vehicles of change in their societies. Which is why I made a conscious decision to move away from the pursuit of accolades and really hone in on meaning – on finding and defining meaning in my life and on allowing other people to do the same. It’s not always an easy or comfortable process, but I am getting better at it. I am getting better at not feeling left out where accolades don’t come to me – at separating the things that I truly want from the things that I want because of the accolade value that I have. I guess that’s my fault. Wanting more is such a trap. You’re basically consigning yourself to a life of being on the outside looking in. 

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I’m increasingly of the opinion that the reason why depression is on the rise in the US and other parts of the “developed” world, is the inability of people to access their feelings. We’re told what we should be happy about and when, and feel guilty or conflicted when we deviate from that expectation. Maturity becomes a checklist of attainments, instead of an organic process of growth and self-discovery. What if we just allowed people to feel sad when they felt sad? Or unhappy when they were unhappy? Or dissatisfied when they were dissatisfied? What if we peeked behind the gloss of things we’re supposed to like and confronted the emptiness therein? What if we all just accepted that sometimes the things we’re supposed to like just aren’t that great?