It’s safe to say that for most of us, there are times we’ve been confronted with the question of our future, and it results in us having a full blown panic attack. We end up stuttering or worse.
It’s safe to say also that the reason why there is so much tension in the world, why there is so much angst and even bitterness, or maybe why most of us make the decisions we make, is because of the unknown.
There is that statement that goes, “What you don’t know is bigger than you,” stronger than you, if I may add. And that is what the future is. It is the big unknown that we do not know and have no control over. No matter how rightly you can ascertain that in the next ten minutes, you’ll still be writing this essay, you could get an emergency call at the 8th minute that completely ruins your ability to continue with that essay.
I think that’s where the excitement (not the good type, sometimes) of humans come from. That we can’t even accurately and without an atom of doubt be sure of what happens at the very next second. The unknown has, is and will always be greater than us because we don’t know what it is, neither do we know what it holds in store for us or our loved ones.
Imagine living in a world where we knew everything. Where we knew who we’d be in the next ten years. Where we knew that this person we were going to meet would devastatingly destroy our lives, so we can avoid them altogether. Where we know the right step to take, and know the result or aftermath of that step. It would be safe. It would be sure. But would it be wise? Would we truly survive a world where we knew everything, even with how easy and non-threatening it was?
The fear of the unknown rules us more than we realize. It sits comfortably at the back watching us with subtly controlling hands as we make every decision based on it. It’s why we say, “What if I stake this, and end up losing everything?” “What if I give her my heart and she tears it to pieces?” “What if I go into this career path and I end up realising too late that it was the wrong one?” So many what ifs. That’s what our lives are inadvertently ruled by, whether we’d like to admit it or not.
Which is why many of us tread cautiously, and even those that are more laissez-faire about life and kind of careless with it, have at the back of their minds, that Hey, this could go very bad for me. How bad it may go, I do not know. But it could. The fear of the unknown so heavy and palpable, it nearly feels tangible. You can feel it like an ever-looming presence. So that even at your happiest, most liberated moment, it creeps up like a shadow, questioning you about your choices, your future, and the outcome of your life at the end of the day.
How do you tackle or affront the unknown, or rather the fear of it? It’s something I learnt the hard way during the last few months of this year. This rhetorical question would come to me. “Why do you worry about things you cannot control?” If you’re not sure of how that person would react to what you’re about to say, why worry about it?
If you can’t control a person’s actions or statements at the end of the day, why worry about it? If you can’t control the way people see you, knowing fully well that no matter how well you present yourself, they’ll still end up having and sticking by their perceptions of you at the end of the day, why bother or kill yourself with worry over it?
We cannot control our future. But what we can control is our actions. We can control the things we say, because these things are voluntary and not imposed on us. Yes, I know I want to be a Surgeon, and I can’t say for sure where I would be in the next ten years, but I can control how hard I study, I can set my priorities right and not get distracted by mundanities.
Yeah, I do not know for sure if this person I’m with will be my forever after. But, I can do my bit to ensure that my relationship with this person works out. I can be true and faithful and honest in my dealings, and if it is going to work out, why the heck not?
I honestly thought I would stop at 500 words, but this is what I get for listening to K-blues as I write, lol. Anyway, let the unknown take care of itself, guys. Do your best, and leave the rest. Life is simpler when you don’t have the heavy baggage of the future weighing on you and depriving of the moment. Depriving you of the joy of the present and people in front of you. Much simpler indeed.
Jhymi🖤
My entry to Day Eighteen's #Decemberinleo Prompt.
Images are mine.
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
