So many people in the world. So many!
All convinced that they’re in the center. Me included!
But suspend that fact for awhile. Understand it in whole: 7 billion people purported to exist.
Let’s say it’s a lie. We can go with something like… I don’t know, 50 million. Even 5 million.
Even at 5 million you comprise 0.00002% of the population. That’s pretty statistically insignificant, and that’s only 5 million.
Let’s hope you don’t base your value off of what you provide to other people then. You are just a drop in the water! Why can’t you be replaced amongst all the other drops in that wave?
No matter how convincing the narrative you give yourself is – specifically, narratives that involve your position, your career, your friends, your community – don’t you see how replaceable you are?
If you fail to provide to any of these wispy institutions, couldn’t someone else provide them in your stead?
One may find the loss of significance something to mourn. Isn’t it something to celebrate instead?
If you and a friend aren’t working out, why not just get a new one? Who cares of time lost? You can always start again. Someone stops being a friend when they no longer pull you up.
If you and your job isn’t fulfilling, why not find another? Who cares if the pay is less? It’s about living, not accumulating fake numbers. Don’t let life pass.
If your community starts to feel suffocating, can’t someone else take over? Who cares if that community falls apart? The point is to have a place to belong, not a prison to lock oneself in. Throw away the keys.
I just don’t see the advantage of pretending that one is needed in these places. Not only does one confront reality by holding to the opposite, but one also finds liberation. Whatever meaning ascribed between can and will be washed away in the currents of time. Take advantage! Furthermore, remember the parts of you that can’t be replaced.
You aren’t a function. You aren’t an automata. You have a family and you have your own dreams. You can’t replace how important you are to yourself, so why not focus on that first?!