Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
‘Some people have a lot to say about lives they’ve never lived, offering opinions on struggles they’ve never faced, and passing judgment on paths they’ve never walked.’
By no means is this my favourite quote. I’ve been thinking more about it. In my memoir, I mentioned that those who have not written a 300 page nonfiction book don’t have the privilege of attacking a marathon writer. In the NBA, there’s an unwritten rule. You can’t trash talk the dudes on the court if you’re treed to the bench. Lambast a prolific author is easy. Painless to say that an 8.5 Overall in the IELTS is ‘embarrassing’. However, if you can’t walk the talk, best to keep quiet.
Three realised projects
Underestimating a stranger is easy. When you jaunt, your achievements aren’t advertised. They won’t know that you hold two uni degrees. Or your PhD level IELTS results at age 18. That you’ve self-published three books at a relatively young age. They don’t know you so they assume. That’s a decent person’s biggest enemy.
We live in incongruous worlds. Different players and prayers. Our mission remains thus: to ensure that we live free for one more day. As they say ‘An idle mind is the devil’s playground’.
This reminds me of Monsters, Inc. Sully and Mike aimed for the top spot by scaring all those kids. As a result, their personal lives suffer. They realise that it’s better to make em laugh instead of terrifying them each evening.
The empty tunnel
Going back to the quote, if you have a flickering light in a tunnel of darkness nobody will get to you. The struggle is all yours. Making them see your light is impossible. They are swallowed in the shadows. You are grasping in the dark.
My writing has been described as ‘academic’. Too flowery for the commoner. Too complex. Sometimes, this makes me feel like a scorned painter, but I did sell more copies than he ever did. I’m realistic and pragmatic. If I do this for fame and fortune, I would’ve quit a while ago. Say what you want, but almost all writers will not crest Everest. Those boys won’t go to heaven. They remain plebs in the land of the living.
Kafkaesque
I mentioned Franz Kafka in my memoir. He published a few story collections in his lifetime. His writing career wasn’t his bread and butter. He had unfinished works, which he instructed his friend to burn. However, his mate disobeyed his dying wish and published them anyway. It was a gift to the literary world, though unfinished.
I’ve written a few stunted projects: a collection of stories, the first draft of a novel (70000 words), and an essay collection inspired by my blog posts. For the story collection, I’ve utilised the finest pieces in my other books. An essay collection just won’t sell, unless you’re Jon Krakauer or Haruki Murakami. That’s three unpublished projects, level with my three self published works. Perhaps they’ll be appreciated more. When forensic scientists unearth my treasure trove of usb sticks, they will need a paradigm shift to decrypt my inaccessible writing.
Challenges and comparisons
The quote above isn’t only about valuing others’ experience. It’s welcoming challenges and gaining insight from observation. You can’t be a polymath like Dexter Holland. Long time vocalist of a popular band. Licensed pilot. Entrepreneur, with a PhD in molecular biology from USC. He came to mind after I heard ‘Why don’t you get a job’ recently. It brought back memories.
However, you can be the best version of yourself. Stop comparing your progress. We are unique. As per Desiderata, there are always bigger, brighter, and smaller fish in the sea. Cherish what works. The grass ain’t always greener on the other side.
Live another day
Appreciate simple things. How you chalked up another day. Your blessings. Your good health and innovative mind. The gift of time and family. The food on your plate. The clothes and kicks you wear. As heartbreaking as it sounds, the destitute can’t imagine having nice clothes or a warm bed. They ration their meagre essentials.
Life isn’t about winning and losing. Holden Caulfield’s teacher once told him, ‘Life is a game boy. A game that one plays according to the rules’.
Game? Yeah right. Holden then divides the crowd into two: the haves and the have-nots. This socialist point of view is constipated and childish. Winners and doormats aren’t defined by wealth, social status, or titles next to your name. We came here with nothing. All our possessions, gains, and ventures are meaningless. We are pawns and foot soldiers in a king’s game. Subsisting through borrowed time. The more evil you perpetuate, the more you’ll be a footnote to history. As a fellow campus writer wrote, ‘Things we have done/All these will be gone’.
Remember
In fifty years, no one will remember your name. Though Alexander the Great built an impressive empire, he didn’t carry his spoils all the way to this decade. The Romans controlled Europe forever. Latin, their Lingua Franca is now a dead language. The aqueducts they constructed are now history textbook photos. No one remembers who was the emperor in AD 500.
Most of us would recognise Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 more than the Romans. Ditto Yoda and Star Wars. People recall and worship Christ because He was a great man who performed miracles. His legacy stands to this day. A billion Christians is no mean feat.
Specks
We are but spectators and specks in the multiverse. Whether your Gott is Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, or Jesus, we’re equal in Their eyes. All we’ve accomplished is because of Him, not others. Just as soon as you’ve amassed your undeserved wealth, you will retch it all out in due time. The Bible says as much.
You should make the most of the hand that you’ve been dealt. After all, we are but passersby in a vicious cosmos.
