I'm not 100% sure when it first came about, but there was this point at which society started imprinting us with the idea that we could "have it all."
I'm not convinced this "it" was ever defined in a meaningful way, but the subtext message was that we needn't ever give up on any of our ideas or dreams — however whimsical or unlikely they might be — because we can have it all.
Like any good marketing message, this was purveyed without much attention being paid to the price tag it came with.
In fact, that part of glossed over completely... perhaps because the "darker" side of "having it all" was that we were expected to enslave ourselves into a workaholic existence to support a chain of endless consumption.
No, this is not intended as a ranty diatribe in condemnation of capitalism... it's more a cautionary tale relating to the ways we're prone to falling asleep when presented with enough promises and shiny objects.
There's a difference between authentically following your desires from a place of well-informed consciousness... and blindly following those desires, oblivious to the toll it takes not only on yourself, but also on the world around you.
What really matters to you?
Are the ambitious goals you relentlessly pursue centered around your own innermost desires... or are they merely an expression of following some "shiny" doctrine that was handed to you that "sounded good" at the time?
In order to HAVE it all, you'll end up having to GIVE it all...
WHY do you want it all?
If you DO get it all, what will you rally have?
The thing about "chasing" things is that the chase doesn't ever end... even after you've attained the object/person of your desire.
As the old truism goes, "it's the JOURNEY, not the DESTINATION, that matters."
I was about 34 years of age when I found myself first pondering the question of why the heck I was pursuing the path and life I was pursuing.
Two years later, I was downsized, divorced and content with a much smaller existence.
I went from a life centered around what more I could put on my "table" to what I could take off that table to make it simpler and less cluttered.
Seems like we often end up selling ourselves into society's indentured servitude in service of pursuing goals that are not even our own!
Do you really want it all?
Are you willing to sell your soul in order to create that reality? Think carefully, before you answer that question... or completely dismiss the entire proposition, perhaps for fear of discovering (admitting?) that you have been duped into chasing ghosts and imaginary realities...
But then again, the pursuit of "having it all" might just be exactly what YOU want...
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
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Created at 2024-07-31 01:42 PDT
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