Into the Wild

Last night I couldn't sleep because I was having a mild panic attack. I was worrying myself over my shortcomings and inability to get my life together in ways society deems appropriate, but this morning I realized the social conventions that we all are upheld are nothing more than someone else's lies. The most important thing in life is to cease the day and make it count. We feel, at times, our lives are just drudging on in a slow pace, but really we've made it to our 20's in a blink of an eye. I sometimes catch myself reminiscing about my childhood as if I'm a grandparent to my nostalgic reverie. At this point I can only recollect bits and pieces of my younger days - all without any vivid imagery. It's not like I can playback the film of my life and watch, from birth until now, all the details I missed while being an absentminded newbie. Yet, this is nothing to be upset about. I simply must take charge and be more proactive when making memories.

At 4 AM I preoccupied my mind with some reading, and as it often happens, the perfect timing for an epiphany occurred with the right book in hand. I was "Into the Wild" with the protagonist Alex McCandless as he wrote to a friend about making a shift from sedentary life to an adventurous one. He wrote, "So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit than a secure future."

He goes on to say, "Don't hesitate or allow yourself to make excuses. Just go out and do it. Just go out and do it. You will be very, very glad you did."

These words suddenly were to me an aerial hope that filled my lungs with new life. We think we can't do something because it goes against the norm. We think we can't just sell our possessions and buy a sturdy car and travel the world, but I know of people who do that very thing. We feel we can't afford to live the adventures we read about, but we can. It is often said that where there is a will, there is a way, and if we accept that all of life is just a pastiche of beautifully assorted mess, then we can truly become the transformative artist that inspires a new generation.