The Light of Golden Treasure

Odysseus being tempted by the Sirens.

"One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things."

- Henry Miller

I like this quote because for me, life is all about newness; about things, people, places, ideas gradually evolving and growing based on what they were before and their surroundings. This isn't necessarily what I want life to "be all about," but it's something I've come to accept. What really stays the same anyways? Back to the quote, it's humbling to realize that you only know a few ways there are to see things when there are virtually countless ways to see things. It reminds me of this quote credited to Socrates: "The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know." As an educated person, I do not let myself fall into the pretentious, cocky, know-it-all category (even though an uncle of mine would disagree), but rather as an educated person I humbly admit that I know very little. And actually, 'pretentious' and 'cocky' more commonly describe uneducated people, based on my experiences. 

After reflecting on my music career and my subsequent departure from it, I've thought a lot about something that happens constantly to each one of us: change. Our lives are filled with changes. Some changes we create and some are unexpected, but we must react to each one. In fact, I'd say life is basically a never-ending cycle of evaluating events (changes), reactions, and decisions. It sounds like a cliché, but life really is more about how you react to what happens to you than the events or changes themselves. This philosophical (or at least semi-philosophical) stuff is fascinating to me, probably more so than to many people I know. But I think when you really think about what life consists of it opens you up to more and more possibilities. I think it also causes you to 'let go' somewhat, and allows you to be more accepting of what life brings. After all, change is inevitable, and sometimes even undesirable. And in some cases change is undesirable at first but ends up being a great thing. To highlight this, one can think of what events or changes got them to where they are today; it's unlikely that they were all positive, expected, or desirable. For instance, maybe you were forced to move against your will, but in your new city you met your best friend, whom you would have never met if you didn't move. One day when I was subbing in AP World History, I told the students the story of how my grandparents met because of World War II. I was showing them how we're all connected to history. So I told the story of how my grandpa was stationed in Berlin, where my grandma was born and raised, and how they met. As I was talking, I came to the realization that I would have never been born if it weren't for WWII. Then I realized that I never would have been born if my great-grandparents had never met, and so on. Pretty mind-boggling when you think about it.  

From this, I often think about how we react to changes, and how, really, it's our choice. For the most part, we decide how we feel about a change in life. Like the quote says, it's about new ways of seeing things. Of course there are those changes that make us feel a certain way and we can't do much about it, but even those eventually require some decision-making. For me it's exciting to see just how many changes are around me all the time, whether they're mine or other people's. Right now, I have friends getting married soon, relatives with great, new job opportunities, and others I can see grow more each time we meet. Also, I tend to surround myself with positive people, so most of them are handling these changes well and embracing them. For me, my ideas and expectations are changing every day (it's a little goofy, perhaps). They are changing because each day I'm learning new things, re-evaluating prospects, negotiating logistics, etc. For example, until recently I was pretty set on moving to Spain this fall and "figuring it out" when I got there. I could still do this if I wanted (people do this a lot in Western Europe, apparently), but I've decided that if I really plan it out, and not rush it, it will probably be a better experience overall. So, in reaction to this change I've decided that I need to continue to remain open to other possibilities instead of feeling disappointed. After all, I could theoretically still be in Madrid by September, but I know now that if I go then my opportunities there would be different than if I continue to explore the available options. A simple change-reaction-decision scenario. I'll be there one day, though. In fact, I just discovered a new way I could end up there, and it sounds like it could be a pretty sweet setup.

"How could he know this new dawn's light would change his life forever? Set sail to sea but pulled off course by the light of golden treasure."

 - The Unforgiven III by Metallica

Yep, a quote from a heavy metal song. Those two lines, however, are universally relatable. What has pulled you off course? What was the result? Do you really know what the course was in the first place? I have a general idea of the course I'm on, but at the same time I know that some other "golden treasure" could pull me off course yet again. That's not necessarily a bad thing. One more quote to close (author unknown): "A ship is safe in a harbour, but that is not what ships are built for."