Things I want ... or ... what the hell was that last post about anyway...
To me
My recent post was an internally clarifying event.
To a large degree, much of it was already known to me
but perhaps
it served to weave together different aspects
create a more unified theme.
I have long lived a life
forsaking the calm cool valleys
for the high peak and low chasms
I suppose when you've been where I've been
the lowest darkest chasm
doesn't seem so bad
and
if it is the risk
you must take
for a few minutes upon the highest peak
well
then it is so very worth it.
I see human society and its god
as a moderating force
preaching safety at the expense of greatness
ownership at the expense of exploration
contentment at the expense of inspiration
I do not want to get married to a woman who will love me for the rest of my life
I do not want to simply check that box and put away the list
rather I want to get marry a woman
who will expect me to make her fall madly in love with me
every single day for the rest of my life
and be committed to making me fall in love with her
every single day for the rest of her life
I want the challenge of waking up every morning
and thinking "How will I make her fall in love with me today?"
I want to be the man who succeeds at this task.
To me it seems there are two paths
that of a collector of life
and that of a rider of life
in the former, you collect symbols and trinkets
things to create emotional attachments to
things to store memories in
you possess life
in the latter you collect merely memories
chase dreams
ride the wave
forget the mousetrap
lets build a better mouse
The last post wasn't a question of good or evil
but rather the path and the methodology of doing either.
You can live the stagnant life and be evil
You can live the creative life and be good
The choice to do one or the other is entirely separate.
Sure, each has its temptations and pitfalls.
How easy it is to sit back on your safe porch and judge others,
laugh at their failures and call them ridiculous,
all while never even making the attempt yourself
Is that good? Is that evil? Something in between?
I suppose one can decide
to own things or to do things
sure there is always some overlap
but I would much rather
spend my life held rapt by the glories and challenges of life
than
be surrounded by pretty things
than live in a comfortable prison
I am reminded of a childhood game
where you grab a friend by the wrists
put your feet close together
lean back and spin around
as fast as you can
the blood rushes to your head
you feel lightheaded and giddy
then your hand slips
and without the counterbalance
you both fall
scraping knees and bruising elbows
but so what?
I want to love like that
and
I want to get up again and again
scraped elbows and bruised knees
and trust my hands to her once more
knowing full well that she will fail me
knowing full well that I will fail her
knowing that pain is a definite result
knowing that the pain will be ever so worth it
and
having loved like that once
I cannot imagine any other way
I cannot accept any other way
except
to believe
with my whole heart
that the juice is worth the squeeze.
My recent post was an internally clarifying event.
To a large degree, much of it was already known to me
but perhaps
it served to weave together different aspects
create a more unified theme.
I have long lived a life
forsaking the calm cool valleys
for the high peak and low chasms
I suppose when you've been where I've been
the lowest darkest chasm
doesn't seem so bad
and
if it is the risk
you must take
for a few minutes upon the highest peak
well
then it is so very worth it.
I see human society and its god
as a moderating force
preaching safety at the expense of greatness
ownership at the expense of exploration
contentment at the expense of inspiration
I do not want to get married to a woman who will love me for the rest of my life
I do not want to simply check that box and put away the list
rather I want to get marry a woman
who will expect me to make her fall madly in love with me
every single day for the rest of my life
and be committed to making me fall in love with her
every single day for the rest of her life
I want the challenge of waking up every morning
and thinking "How will I make her fall in love with me today?"
I want to be the man who succeeds at this task.
To me it seems there are two paths
that of a collector of life
and that of a rider of life
in the former, you collect symbols and trinkets
things to create emotional attachments to
things to store memories in
you possess life
in the latter you collect merely memories
chase dreams
ride the wave
forget the mousetrap
lets build a better mouse
The last post wasn't a question of good or evil
but rather the path and the methodology of doing either.
You can live the stagnant life and be evil
You can live the creative life and be good
The choice to do one or the other is entirely separate.
Sure, each has its temptations and pitfalls.
How easy it is to sit back on your safe porch and judge others,
laugh at their failures and call them ridiculous,
all while never even making the attempt yourself
Is that good? Is that evil? Something in between?
I suppose one can decide
to own things or to do things
sure there is always some overlap
but I would much rather
spend my life held rapt by the glories and challenges of life
than
be surrounded by pretty things
than live in a comfortable prison
I am reminded of a childhood game
where you grab a friend by the wrists
put your feet close together
lean back and spin around
as fast as you can
the blood rushes to your head
you feel lightheaded and giddy
then your hand slips
and without the counterbalance
you both fall
scraping knees and bruising elbows
but so what?
I want to love like that
and
I want to get up again and again
scraped elbows and bruised knees
and trust my hands to her once more
knowing full well that she will fail me
knowing full well that I will fail her
knowing that pain is a definite result
knowing that the pain will be ever so worth it
and
having loved like that once
I cannot imagine any other way
I cannot accept any other way
except
to believe
with my whole heart
that the juice is worth the squeeze.