We have been told from very early on that we are the sum of the parts. That our influences, the people we surround ourselves with, determine much of our life. Opportunities, character development, and love are all a result of who we rub shoulders with.
There are elements that are seemingly out of our control: the country we live in, the state we are from, the family we are born into. We must work with these factors and do our best with what we have been given, but there are areas where we have more to say, and it’s in the saying that makes the difference.
It’s not easy to step away from your country, your family of origin, and find a different perspective that opens paths of freedom and possibility. We are schooled and indoctrinated through environment, narrative, and traumas to subscribe to the conversational legacies that have clothed us.
Our chemistry, what we are attracted to, is usually dysfunctional and toxic. Lessons come hard-learned, forged in heartbreak and loss.
Powerlessness is real, the feeling that someone else has control of our destiny. Whether that’s governmental or parental or any other form of authority, it is a challenging obstacle. Usually we only have two speeds: battle or give up. Neither looks particularly useful.
Finding your way, finding your truth, and expressing yourself into the world is the attempt.
The entropic nature of life does not give us much of a chance to evolve, but all things that are worthwhile are hard fought.
The definition of a worthy life, a successful life, is that you become better over time and when you look back at the end of your life, you have a smile on your face and a tear in your eye at a life well lived.