April 25, 2007

• The Difference

  We here in America are raised our entire lives being told how unique we are, how different we are, how special we are. The irony is that I often find that in my experiences with far eastern culture that the emphasis is on the opposite, that you should conform to the expectations that are placed upon you and do as you are told without question. The emphasis there is not on being unique, but on following a predetermined ideal.

  So which is true? Are we different or alike? Should we conform or rebel? What are we to do when faced with such seemingly conflicting messages?

  It's true that we are not so different as we are led to believe. As human beings, we share much more in common with one another than we realize. Our similarities run deep, because we all share our roots, the core of who we are deep down inside. Does that mean we should conform? In a way, conformity is not as terrible as some would lead you to believe. To operate within the boundaries of society, conforming to certain rules and expectations is a necessity.

  So what makes us different from one another? What separates us from each other? How are we different if we're so much alike? The difference is not as much in your beliefs as you may think. Rather, it is in your actions. You may believe in noble things and prescribe to lofty ideals, but it is not in your words that you show your true colors, but rather in the things that you do.

  Many are those who sit on the sidelines and yell with raised voices at those taking part, but few are those who have the courage to stand up and play an active role. To do such a thing is to take a risk, and to take a risk is to take a chance that you might be hurt or worse. Fear stops you from letting go. Fear stops you from trying. Fear stops you from breaking free of the things with which you are familiar. And though it is easy to sit and preach to others, it's not so simple to apply that wisdom to your own life.

  I hear of the dreams of many people. I hear of their aspirations, their hopes, their ideals, and then I listen as they speak of the difficulty in reaching them. Before you lament on the impossibility of your dream, think of who or what it is that is stopping you from reaching it. The only thing stopping you is fear.

  Of course the road is hard.
  Of course there will be pain.
  Of course there will be times when you want to quit.
  Of course you will be beaten down by cruel fate time and time again.
  Of course you will meet disappointment and cruelty.

  To expect that any road worth traveling will be without these things is to have unrealistic expectations of life. And even if you try your hardest to avoid these things, they will find you anyway. You cannot live in fear of the negative while expecting to gain the positive. You cannot allow the negative to paralyze you.

  That is the real difference between all people.

  It's not our hopes or ambitions, our inner feelings and desires, or any other such thing that makes us who we are. Many of us share these things with one another. Rather, it is our willingness to face life. Our willingness to move forwards. Our desire not to settle where we are, but rather to keep moving onwards.

  Some are content to stay in one place. They strive for a house, a car, a family, and a comfortable life, and that is enough for them.

  But I cannot settle. I must keep moving. I push onwards, despite the obstacles, despite the hardship, despite the negatives which threaten to drag me down. I may move slowly, but never doubt that I am in fact moving.

  Some people dislike my pace. They encourage me to rush, but that is simply not who I am. If you run too quickly, you will exhaust yourself and be forced to rest. And the danger in resting too long is falling victim to complacency. I see many such people. I meet them every day.

  And I suppose it would be fine, if I thought most of them were happy, but the unfortunate truth is that they are anything but. I suppose the irony is that I am having the most difficult time I have ever had in my life, but I can't remember ever being happier because I know I am where I want to be.

  What separates us all from one another is not in who we are inside, but rather in how we express that outwardly to the world. What determines your fate in this world is not the nobility of your ideals, but the reality of your actions.

  We all want happiness.

  The difference is that some of us are willing to take the risk in gaining it, no matter what life might throw at us if we try. And it is not that I am without fear, but rather that I overcome the fear because my greater fear is reaching the end of my life with the realization that it has been wasted. When my time finally comes to pass onwards, I wish to know the satisfaction of looking back with no regrets, knowing that I did everything in my power to reach for my dreams. I want to be able to say to myself that I had tried my best, worked my hardest, and done everything I could.

  The difference between us is not what is within our hearts, but in how we realize those dreams.

  The unfortunate truth is that many of us place too much faith in words, not realizing that words only have meaning if they are supported by actions. Words alone mean nothing, and yet we continue to believe firmly in them. In fact, words are so powerful that they can often blind people to the very truths they have realized through a person's actions.

  It is never through a person's words that you will see the true value of who they are, but rather through their actions and what they do.

  That is the difference that separates us from each other.

  Reflect carefully upon your own actions and what they say, rather than on just the words you speak. A true friend will also see you based upon your actions, and not solely on your melodic words.

  • 10:14 pm
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