Lessons Learned

Over the four years in high school, I had learned many things, how to calculate how much sleep I will get to sleep if I go to sleep that second, or how to deal with bad teachers.  all of these are good skills to know but, there is one thing that I learned that changed my life. This one special thing I learned was that you are powerless. Now, many will think “wow, this is dark” and I’m sure I will get a “are you okay dude.” this is not a symptom of teenage angst, But is an insight that stems from a walk in the woods. As I walked I just couldn’t help but think no matter what this patch of trees will be the same without me. I am not in control. If I cut down a tree, one will grow back again; If I dam a stream it will just find another way around. Then thinking about that what do I really control Every idea I thought of a way how I’m not in control. There was one thing that I was in control of just one. Myself. I am in control of what I do and how I feel. Now to many, this is intuitive but most don’t realize how important this is. Most let others control their actions or emotions, letting go of the only thing people have control over. Now, I was in a bad place in my life for most of my Highschool career, and many of the things I could have changed easily but instead of fixing it instead I just felt bad for myself.

 What does not being important have to do about how you feel and your actions? It has everything to do with it. When you know that regardless of everything you do tomorrow, the sun will still rise the earth will still turn, your problems become a lot smaller. Many do not understand that their problems don’t matter to the universe so why should it matter that much to you. If you accept that nihil sub sole novum ( or there is nothing new under the sun) even if you failed English one year there are thousands or maybe million that failed it before. If you didn’t get perfect grades all four years, you are still part of millions of students, even if you did, still millions of students are the same as you. Even when you feel alone, you are the only one could ever know what it is like still is not unique your partner cheating on you still puts you in a group of millions. This is how you control your emotions; it’s a lot harder for you to lose control when you realize that it’s not actually that bad. The problem that seems to freeze you with fear is a problem many have dealt with. This is not supposed to fill you full of dread but a reassurance of sorts. When you think you are important, when you think what you feel or your situation is unique, you feel alone. When you embrace how much you don’t matter, when you accept that your human experience is not really different from most you find yourself never alone and it is some of the best motivation there is. “ if millions or even billions of people have been in my situation and they made it through alright, I will too.”

In my personal life just shifting perspective changed my life drastically. Classes I had trouble with, my lack of motivation to do essays, or get membean done, it used to scare me how much I had to do. Many students have had the same problem and they just didn’t get it done. But, I’m not important; whether I pass or fail there will be a new set of students in the fall like there always is; the worst thing that will happen is I get more time to do the work. After looking at classes like that my problem seemed a lot smaller. If I pass, cool; if I fail, I got more time to do the assignments, or go to summer school where I don’t have to do as much work and I have something to do during the summer. So, I win either way. With that mindset, each assignment weighed less and seemed easier as a small little hurtle I can easily get over rather than a giant mountain impossible to climb. In a nutshell, you are not important, you are not unique your problems have solutions that, for the most part, have easy to fix when you get out of your own world.

Photo by CameliaTWU on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND