Choosing Your Life

One of the most amazing parts of life is you can choose to live it in any way you wish.

We’re extremely lucky to living in this era and in this state (VT). Obviously the world is not perfect and it never will be. There are many aspects that are surely headed in the wrong direction, but it’s always worth working toward something better. The sheer amount of variety in options and opportunity we have on a day to day basis is extraordinary.

We have the ability to access anything we need and be in contact with anyone across the entire world. The power of any unique individual is higher than it’s ever been.

If you have a hobby or interest, you can dive into it instantly and learn all that you want about it and purchase whatever you may need to start it off. There are unlimited amounts of knowledge on the internet from scholars, philosophers and free thinkers of the past and present.

In an age where corporations, media conglomerations and politicians are strong attempt to get hold of our freedoms and instilling our greatest fears, we have the ability to go and think on our own and to not allow them to shape the narrative of our country and our relationship with nations abroad.

We have the option of succumbing and be angered by what the media constantly throws at us, or alternatively ignore it for the sake of living with a healthy mindset and realizing that a small event that occurred a thousand miles from us might not have significance in our own lives. Maybe it’s a waste of energy to be reactive to a situation that’s out of our control and what really matters is that we step away from biased sources of information, and focus more on being part of our own community.

It is easy to be distracted by what actually matters throughout life. There is so much happening every minute around the country and sure it peaks our interest because we as a species crave that rush of excitement.

To be even more personal, I have no clue what to actually think about the state of affairs happening in present times. The stories are always skewed to favor one side or another, and there is always more to the story that can possibly change it completely. How can anybody believe anything when it’s deliberately written to make you perceive it in a certain way?

All I really know is how I feel personally and what I feel is right to do in my own life. It’s difficult enough to perceive what’s happening in front of my very own eyes, how should one be expected to do the same with every single event that’s happening around the entire world?

With that, there are other facets of life that we naturally crave, like a sense of belonging, as well as giving and receiving compassion from others. Think of how good it feels to have a nice conversation with a friend or just going out and simply enjoying life with others; making something out of nothing, and giving without any expectation of receiving.

On the other hand, think of how empty it feels to read a scanty news article about an event that happened somewhere in the world, and then sharing that news article on Facebook, whether by absentmindedly copying the link, or sharing an image based on it. And what are the consequences of this? Well, it only frustrates and angers of your online friends who see it. It breeds negativity based on a pinhole perception. Then think of what might happen next, somebody who sees your post then spends time with their children and maybe they’re not in the greatest mood anymore because of something they saw in their online community.

An online community of friends, people who know and maybe even love each other. A community that’s meant to aid in the connecting of others. Yet that isn’t how it’s use much of the time. Basically, next time you decided to share something negative, think twice if people actually want to see it. Think of how you can improve the life of yourself and others, including primarily your very own offspring.

To circle back to the beginning, we have the freedom and ability to live our life in any way that we wish (especially if we work for it), but I do believe that life should be fulfilling for oneself, compassionate for others, and enriching for the next generation. With a mindless, hate and fear-mongering, and distracting online platform (Facebook) at the center of all human connection, we should be mindful of how our time is spent, as well as the unlimited opportunity we have to do better in both our lives and communities.

Remember, we are Human, not corporate-political pawns. If it were 1990, we’d read the news article and get on with our day. If somebody else wanted to do the same, they’d have every right to. I don’t know where all this came from, but hopefully it was at least somewhat valuable. Am I wrong?

Happy Fourth 🇺🇸✌️