Would I have survived my hardships alone? Yes. Those who almost daily not only told me that they would be there for me but showed up when I needed them the most. When I think back to all the times in my life when it felt like the roof would cave in, that I had nothing left, that I didn’t know if I would be strong enough to move forward and continue on, I remember what exactly it was that pushed me forward. And amidst all the despair, I remember looking around and seeing my friends. Through a blur of tears, I remember thinking about how beautiful the flowers people had sent were and how vibrantly green the grass of the cemetery was. That sounds gloomy, but it is what makes life so beautiful-the human ability to feel a vast range of emotions within an hour and find charm in the worst circumstances.Ī little over a year ago, my aunt passed. It’s just one adventure after the next, for better or worse. To put it simply, life is a series of circumstances, situations, and experiences that we get reluctantly swept into (and sometimes, foolishly, sweep ourselves into). And if you are thinking, “who actually does that?” this introduction is not for you. What I would like to say is that none of those external goals will fulfill you the way that genuine human connection can-and that those goals should not be completed by abandoning your healthy relationships and support systems.

Career success, physique aspirations, and other tangible objectives can absolutely be noble in pursuit and attainment. I want to disclaim, of course, that this is by no means attacking the notion of having personal external goals. What is the meaning of life itself if not companionship, community, and love? Because what is the purpose of wealth and status if not to share it with the ones you love and who love you the most?

Like many others, I’d like to challenge this notion. We are taught, between the lines, that our first responsibility is to create a ‘ perfected‘ version of ourselves to such an extreme that it is alright to forsake our relationships with others to accomplish it.įrom day one, it is embedded in us that it is our individual selves against the world. Often in the West, we are taught to prioritize ourselves in the unhealthiest ways, to ‘grind’ as hard as we can to achieve wealth and status. Living in the hyper-individualist society that we do, it’s easy to forget our obligation to those around us. “We’re all just walking each other home.” ~Ram Dass

Ram dass remember be here now