I love this song for so many reasons. But that one line in the chorus “Everything that kills me makes me feel alive…”, that knocked something over in me internally and got my attention. It hooked me hard, the rest of the lyrics just kept pulling me in deeper.
Throughout the music video, you can see the contrast playing out. Hope, despair. Doing life your way, being led. Determination, defeat. Good, evil. Fighting the establishment, following it. Every bit of being engaged in either spectrum will lead you to the results you experience in your life. Fact.
That one line though is the point – we all need to get to our darkest depths to escape and break through to the other side where there’s light. Crumbling from defeat is where life begins again. We have to experience it all to have it be a wholelife, to feel complete throughout the entirety of it.
Every time I listen to this, I imagine the tastiness of living fully engaged.
Life knows how to adapt when its environment preys on it. Survival is the by-product of encoded genetic material forcing nature to continue but also to thrive and even rise above within their given circumstances.
For what reason does life have a built-in switch to influence continuation of a species though? Where does this desire to continue on and evolve come from?
The reason is a mystery; one that has long been pondered since the beginning of existence. We can consciously think of these things now more than ever. Not that we have any answers yet as to why we exist and for what purpose.
So many smart people can write book after book and provide research to explain all the things we have learned. It’s a never-ending mountain of information that details so much of what was unknown before. It’s beyond comprehension for some, inspiring to others to know even more.
And yet, no answer for what the purpose of existence even is.
But in the end, does it even matter? Animals and insects will be guided somewhat by instinct, vegetation continually seeking to fulfill what has driven them for millennia – to not wither and die. Humans will continue to exist the best way they know how. Influences in life will force them to decide what that life will look like; it’s their choice.
Nature consciously decided to be here, and we’ll probably never know the answer why.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
Dalai Lama
I’ve frequently pondered things outside my own thought process because chronic thinking is what I do. To the point of exhaustion, at times. I don’t advise it, but this is how I’m built. Still learning to take the good with the bad.
Every moment I make a conscious contribution to this life, I’ll generally see an immediate outcome. But what’s next in the lives I have happened to touch? What steps do those people then take because of what I set in motion? Does it even matter or should I care, especially when quite possibly I don’t even know who I’ve affected?
We can’t predict the future but when we become aware how we affected others, would we stop to think the next time we attempted to take action? It seems quite logical that we could take a moment to seriously think through all possible outcomes or realistic assumptions before we make decisions affecting our future, and possibly those of others. All actions have consequences and ramifications. Honestly spoken though, I’m not so sure we would, at least not yet consistently. This explains some rather poor outcomes we see for people.
We all take steps in our lives that we deem necessary. Everyone one of us. Situations arise, and they require action. I don’t think any of us would disagree. A percentage of those people are likely to just react emotionally, not thinking at all. These would be the people who wouldn’t care one bit about what happens in the timelines of others. Frankly, they are more invested in their own hysteria and drama than others, or reality for that matter.
The group of people I’m talking about are those who genuinely and critically decide to make choices in their best interest. Do they generally take it one step further to see what the effect would be for others? Again, I’ll say, my opinion is no.
I think many of us are empathetic and also open-minded; I just don’t think we apply those traits very often when it comes to things involving us and our well-being. Our own best interest is at stake, that’s the point! When we are challenged to protect ourselves or make decisions affecting us, WE are the only ones we worry about! Rationally, biologically, emotionally – this makes sense. All you have to do is look around our world. Crises’ and wars that exist with no relief in sight are clues of our selfishness everywhere. But even in the face of what life looks like right now, I think it’s changing.
Looking at our history, seeing how life has progressed, there seem to be two steps forward, sometimes three steps back followed by six steps forward action. That is positive. So, I’m hopeful.
As we’ve evolved over time, it’s become evident that we are becoming more and more aware how we’re all connected to each other. We still have a long way to go before we become the kindest humans, but there is evidence that we are contemplating how we interact with each other in a less ego-driven way. I like that.
I just hope for my kid’s sake and all others who live beyond me that people in their lifetimes will help to improve all lives living on this blue ball.
