Walk. No, run. Run fast. So many dreams, so little time.
Facebook. She got promoted. He started his own company. They broke up. They got married. Like. Keep scrolling. He’s in Amsterdam. Lucky him.
Hungry. Scroll again-oh! so many choices- Italian, Chinese or Indian? Done-45 minutes delivery. Online payment. Online shopping. Money isn’t an issue today. Someday maybe a house, a car. A bigger house, a bigger car.
Office-Home-work-Family. Juggle.
Selfie- filters, correction-Perfect. Insta-update.
Newsfeed- Tech boom, iphone vs Samsung, New Ventures, Crime escalation, Page 3 gossip, politicians, terrorism.
Party. Movie nights.
More swipes. Hookups. Friendzoned. Heartbreaks.
Monday mornings. Run faster. Work harder. Your deadlines are still pending.
Hustle and Survive.
That’s all of our lives up there- that’s how confined we have become.
We the millennials claim to be independent and carefree. Yet we are tired, stressed and stuck -at a job that only feeds our stomach but not our souls; a college degree that doesn’t inspire us but takes away 4 sometimes 5 years of our youth; a relationship that died long. Stuck at some point of life without a clue of what lies ahead or where we are heading.
There was a time as a child that I dreamt of being a grownup with a fancy job, big house, many cool friends and unlimited freedom and time to do whatever I wanted to- all that was left was to grow up.
And yet, here I am- an adult with no clue of what to do in life or where I am headed. I feel like a machine that wakes up, does the chores, attend to work, friends, family, social media, and the gazillion other things that needs me (or I need) and then shut down by the end of the day. I don’t have time for love, life, myself- Nothing. My weekends, which I look forward to, are spent complaining about how monotonous life is or by an over compensatory behavior to make up for the lost time or life. So much to do in two days that it’s over too soon. I crib and cry but have to go back to Monday, eagerly waiting for my next weekend. Life’s not too bad, if I had to compare with those less fortunate, but it’s not enough.
Thoughts beginning with “what if” and “if only” start taking form in my head. Everyone else’s lives looks so much better. They look happier in their pics. They have it so easy in their lives. We are so busy looking into our neighbor’s house that we just don’t bother with what’s happening in our own. Well, can’t help it- that’s human nature. We are after all, social beings. Luckily, this is not going to be one of those articles that tells you to stop what you are doing and to pursue what you love. You probably might have already left something to start out something new, and yet there would still have been that one day where you thought- What am I doing here?
The question really isn’t “why are we stuck?”. It rather is- why do we feel lost so often? Why is it that we set out on a path that we are so certain about and yet half way down things get hazy? Now you might expect me to share some ancient words of wisdom here, but I’m sorry- I have nothing. I’m also, like everyone else, a part of this rat race.
But here’s what I do know- This is what your passion looks like.
Maybe you had something a little more appealing, colourful or glamourous in your head. For me it was the movies. This fascinating media is what formed the foundation to my dreams and aspirations. But life’s never a movie and this is reality- Bitter, boring and blah mostly. Of course, there are the simple pleasures of life that keeps us adrift amongst the adversities, but they are called ‘simple’ for a reason. They will help you feel good till you can get back on your twos and start running again.
Comparing our lives with that of others is our biggest enemy. Maybe you took a life path thinking “if he’s happy, I’d be happy too”. But it’s as pointless as convincing others that your smile is actually a mask that hides the thousand struggles you go through to survive everyday (especially to those who haven’t gone through it themselves). We are judging them based on just one aspect of their life- the one that we see or choose to see. We all are trying to make it big, fulfil our dreams and just survive. We all look for breaks or that one chance. We are all running. I think we might as well enjoy the race.
So, STOP CHASING BUTTERFLIES cause we will rarely catch it.
