Wednesday 31 January 2018

Life's Too Short


Here is a topic a little closer to my heart. A topic that has and still can, expose my heavier emotions. A topic that I have previously dived into on this blog, yet in a more anxious and unfocused state. Now having mentally found my feet whilst building on my mastery of the subject at focus, I thought of taking another stab at delivering my view. This time in a more evened out manner, with more vigour and more nobility. This piece is about something I am pushed to face against at any given time. It's about something too big for someone like myself to explain assiduously. Life and everything surrounding it. The meaning of it. The science behind it. I'm sure everyone else would understand. In fact I expect a lot to share the exact same experiences. It's just a matter of whether they cope with them better than I do. If you're wondering how this topic and the Sonic Boom picture above relate to each other, then don't worry too much. The dots will surely connect as you go along.

Let me ask you a serious question. How often do you come across particular people that constantly brood over time passing quicker than they please? Allow me to happily share my answer. Too often. Far too often. So often in fact, it gets to the point where I just lose count. Some of my family, friends and those I have a fair connection with somehow feel the need to regularly contemplate about one of the most depressing and overwhelming topics of discussion. It can really get on my nerves and upset me, having to hear somebody share such thoughts out loud. The negativity becomes contagious. Whenever I'm constrained to listen to a misery guts dwell on nothing but the grief and anxiety that surrounds them, it honestly makes me want to stand up and tell them to get a hobby. I'd demand them to search for that one thing that can ease their pain. That one thing that will take their mind off the worthless pondering. I'd push them to find their recreation.

Recreation might seem unimportant from a distance, given how it's frequently overshadowed by the seriousness of both work and education. It might be known to have little impact one's requirement to make a living. But it is easy to forget how such a thing can be a powerful remedy for our health and well-being. Recreation pushes the pressures of life aside for one to readily face them another day. It embellishes business and fulfills lives. It's the vital distraction that keeps the subconscious in control. Time and time again, the act of 'seeking pleasure' is downgraded and mistreated by the work industry, with so many left believing it only ever negatively affects the process of delivering goods and essentials for all to share. Little do they know, it can be a strategic method in improving one's ability of meeting demands more effectively. Attempts to beautify ordinary tasks enable one to put their best effort on display. It's easy to prove of its success. Singing and listening to music whilst performing house chores, imagining good thoughts before sleep, observing visual content to bolster cognitive functioning, etc.

I myself devote my whole life to 'entertainment'. This blog is actually one of many pastimes I enjoy getting around to. If you happen to read my written pieces and see each for what they are, it will lead you to developing a clear idea of the person I am. If you haven't, then don't sweat it. I'd be delighted to give you a brief description. I am somebody who is loyal to the artistic details life brings. I am somebody who is open to making good out of the small things within my reach. I am somebody who greatly admires the creative genius brought to existence by many who have either come and gone or are still around today. This blog is pretty much meant to be about discussing the things that I love, and a fair lot of you are already familiar with them. Connecting with new and different people (The Revival), watching television (The TeeVee In Me), exploring different thoughts and feelings (My 'Reaction' Feels), gearing up (A Name Without A Face) and listening to a wide range of music (Don't Stop The Music). And all of this doesn't even make up half of my character.

See that Sonic Boom drawing at the top of the page? That is mine. Well technically, it isn’t a genuine drawing since it mostly involved the tracing of lines and shapes. That should tell you much of my creative ability. I am far from a fantastic artist. In spite of my desperate search for perfection in everything I do, the works of mine from both school and home are forever falling short of my high expectations. They end up far from perfect and when compared to the majority of artworks from those around my age, mine are close to simply being ‘nothing’. But you can be glad to know that this doesn’t at all bother me. Drawing, tracing and colouring are just some of the many things I enjoy doing whenever I’ve got spare time on my hands. Whether they are abstract patterns or fictional characters, the works I create primarily aim to deliver a sort of personal meaning and remind me of what I love most. And most importantly, drawing keeps me occupied and takes my mind off all discomforts.

It is extremely important to remember that time doesn't slow down for anybody. Not even for those who force themselves into thinking about it. Such negative thoughts can grow, only to occur more regularly and leave one more dissatisfied about what could've been. Would anyone want to reach old age, thinking they could have done so much more before getting there? I myself would hate to feel incomplete when I hit the twilight stage. To look back, knowing I had so much time in my own hands wasted on the things that never helped me. Seniors are meant to be carefree. They're supposed to live peacefully and relish every moment they have left. That's what I desire the most. Because I see life as a gift, I too see the importance in always trying to make the most of it. Everybody should be doing the same. Seconds spent worrying about how time flies, are seconds wasted. It's okay to once in a while reminisce the good times, but it's more important to make new memories. A 'bucket list' isn't such a bad idea when you think about it.

It's not just 'time flying' that sparks both fear and anxiety. As a matter of fact, it's all part of a much larger picture. A picture that also includes the focus on life's big questions. What are these questions to be exact? They are simply anything surrounding the topic of existence. The 'What Ifs'. The 'What's Next'. The meaning of life itself. They often stem from particular features in publication or television we come across. But they can even cross our minds without any external factors. Life's questions put our thoughts and emotions to the test whenever we find ourselves chewing on them. Most importantly, the answers are forever inconclusive and open to interpretation. What happens after we die? What is really beyond this planet of ours? Is an 'A.I. Takeover' possible? Can us humans truly calculate if and when Earth will cease to exist? Such questions may look harmless and interesting, but they can weigh on us to the point of shifting our focus and making us more susceptible to other dangers. So unless if we were strong enough in both heart and mind to look towards these questions out of fascination and as a means for research, it is best that we avoid them as much as we possibly can.

Most blog pieces like this one aim to convey a message. A small yet significant piece of advice for all to carry with them. Something that's there to make lives more rewarding. So what am I trying to get at here? What's the message I'm aiming to communicate this time? Well the answer is both simple and can be said in many different ways. Live your life. Live every moment. Follow your heart. Chase your desires. Enjoy your interests. Build new interests. Set your goals and fight to achieve them. Entertain yourself and entertain others. Find the beautiful things in life that bring comfort and warmth to you. Don't think too much about everything you have so far seen in life, but instead think about how much more you're yet to experience. Don't stress about the big questions that you can't find appeal in, because we all know life's too short for this. I can go on. If I had ultimate power to influence the minds of all around me, I'd ensure this would be the case.

Travis "TJ" James

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