When you are talking about life, some people will surely come to think about cycle as one of the possible metaphors. I would probably metaphorically say life is a quest. A journey that starts at some point, and ends somewhere else. And the way it ends, the way you end it denotes how your quest ends. Combine it with how you live your quest, you may say it is a cycle. A cycle of events that appear and reappear in various ways.
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past, for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who have been, and ever will be, animated by the same passions and thus they must necessarily have the same results." - Niccolo Machiavelli (The Discourses)
If generally life is a cycle, it proves whatsoever theory and philosophical thoughts that deem the whole world's events, as Machiavelli will say, "resemble those of preceding times." We have not one, but two world wars. We have not one, but lots of pandemics. We have not one, but lots of fanatic religious defiant acts. Many events turn out to be cyclical, if you picture it this way. So it is quite true, if we life of an individual is also potentially cyclical. We tend to do mistakes, we tend to repeat mistakes that we do. And should we repent, it doesn't guarantee an ounce that we, mere humans, will never err and do it again.
I am now 22, and just today I read a note about a respected friend who turned to be 30 this month. There is a bit of bitterness, despite the happiness and joy he mentioned, and only tonight I come up with questions about it. Not long after that, a realization appear in me, which is the fruit of an unfortunate event.
"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun" - King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Now, now, don't start arguing with me about this interpretation, as some of you would. If I am allowed to be cynical, I often see and become involved with events that somehow are familiar in some way (you know, like, "gee.. I shouldn't have done this like that time.." way of thinking after you do or get involved in something). It's like, you do something because you are accustomed to do that, and you are accustomed to do that, well.. because of various reasons. Maybe you are raised with a particular way, maybe you grew up in certain neighborhood, maybe you are mentally challenged, who knows. But the way we lived in the past, will certainly shape us into what we are now.
A person may do something because he longs for acceptance among his peers. Another barges into anything because he's afraid of being hurt, or maybe just because he likes to be the first. A person is rude and skeptical because he was hurt long time ago. This makes me think about the motives I have when I do something. A motive. Something that some of my friends always questioned. And honestly, I rarely have any ulterior motives other than what is clearly visible. I am, however complex inside, however thoughtful, am simple in life. Yeah, most of you might not believe it.
But true. I am simple. Simply an idiot who can't do several things right. Like, being perfect. Okay laugh about it. Go ahead. While some others will say "nobody is perfect", I am "so far away from perfection that the perfect guy can even be... um.. that guy (pointing to some random average Joe walking in briefs while sucking lollipop wearing nothing but his untrimmed chest and.. his briefs of course)". I'm simply an idiot who looks funny and all goofy confident, but actually not. I'm simply an idiot who can even do something out of good intention, with bad result. And that's my bad cycle. I repeat some mistakes, and others have been victim. I have no regret of events in my life, but only the actions that I've done recklessly.
But the way you live and the way you act, the way you do things, can actually change.
A person I know had a bitter childhood, but somehow she managed to get over it. And now she's one of the nicest person I've ever met. Another person I know also had a bitter childhood, and he's still in the process of learning to live well, to learn to appreciate others, other than himself. Another person that I know, though raised with love and care, is now an embittered person, due to recent unfortunate things that happened to him. Poor soul. A smiling and bright person that I know early in my college year, somehow ended up being a bitter, rude and pessimistic down-on-his-luck. Another cynical, anti-social, and skeptical person I met early in my college year, now is a hearty person and one of my best friends. While another friend of mine, who were good and solid, is a person that I don't even know anymore.
C'est la vie. Such is life. The quest in which, actions and choices will move and react cyclically. But is it not our quest to break out of it? Is it not our aim to be something that we haven't been? And who knows, maybe the changes in our lives are the way we try to leave the cycle. I am trying to break this cycle too. My obsessive compulsive habit, my problems with temper, my tendency to zone out of space, and my lack of attention to things. I am trying to resolve all these, as I am trying to line me up to finish my quest with the most fulfilling story ever. But during the way, I stumble upon lots of unsatisfactory unveiling about the quest itself. I see people who are attracted to things that are, sadly, less than their value. I see people who feed on their selfish need. And I see people who leave away the precious things in their lives, which are, sadly, not things.
So I pray, that people find their way to break the cycles, and prove King Solomon wrong. There are actually things you haven't seen. Surprise even the sun.
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past, for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who have been, and ever will be, animated by the same passions and thus they must necessarily have the same results." - Niccolo Machiavelli (The Discourses)
If generally life is a cycle, it proves whatsoever theory and philosophical thoughts that deem the whole world's events, as Machiavelli will say, "resemble those of preceding times." We have not one, but two world wars. We have not one, but lots of pandemics. We have not one, but lots of fanatic religious defiant acts. Many events turn out to be cyclical, if you picture it this way. So it is quite true, if we life of an individual is also potentially cyclical. We tend to do mistakes, we tend to repeat mistakes that we do. And should we repent, it doesn't guarantee an ounce that we, mere humans, will never err and do it again.
I am now 22, and just today I read a note about a respected friend who turned to be 30 this month. There is a bit of bitterness, despite the happiness and joy he mentioned, and only tonight I come up with questions about it. Not long after that, a realization appear in me, which is the fruit of an unfortunate event.
"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun" - King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Now, now, don't start arguing with me about this interpretation, as some of you would. If I am allowed to be cynical, I often see and become involved with events that somehow are familiar in some way (you know, like, "gee.. I shouldn't have done this like that time.." way of thinking after you do or get involved in something). It's like, you do something because you are accustomed to do that, and you are accustomed to do that, well.. because of various reasons. Maybe you are raised with a particular way, maybe you grew up in certain neighborhood, maybe you are mentally challenged, who knows. But the way we lived in the past, will certainly shape us into what we are now.
A person may do something because he longs for acceptance among his peers. Another barges into anything because he's afraid of being hurt, or maybe just because he likes to be the first. A person is rude and skeptical because he was hurt long time ago. This makes me think about the motives I have when I do something. A motive. Something that some of my friends always questioned. And honestly, I rarely have any ulterior motives other than what is clearly visible. I am, however complex inside, however thoughtful, am simple in life. Yeah, most of you might not believe it.
But true. I am simple. Simply an idiot who can't do several things right. Like, being perfect. Okay laugh about it. Go ahead. While some others will say "nobody is perfect", I am "so far away from perfection that the perfect guy can even be... um.. that guy (pointing to some random average Joe walking in briefs while sucking lollipop wearing nothing but his untrimmed chest and.. his briefs of course)". I'm simply an idiot who looks funny and all goofy confident, but actually not. I'm simply an idiot who can even do something out of good intention, with bad result. And that's my bad cycle. I repeat some mistakes, and others have been victim. I have no regret of events in my life, but only the actions that I've done recklessly.
But the way you live and the way you act, the way you do things, can actually change.
A person I know had a bitter childhood, but somehow she managed to get over it. And now she's one of the nicest person I've ever met. Another person I know also had a bitter childhood, and he's still in the process of learning to live well, to learn to appreciate others, other than himself. Another person that I know, though raised with love and care, is now an embittered person, due to recent unfortunate things that happened to him. Poor soul. A smiling and bright person that I know early in my college year, somehow ended up being a bitter, rude and pessimistic down-on-his-luck. Another cynical, anti-social, and skeptical person I met early in my college year, now is a hearty person and one of my best friends. While another friend of mine, who were good and solid, is a person that I don't even know anymore.
C'est la vie. Such is life. The quest in which, actions and choices will move and react cyclically. But is it not our quest to break out of it? Is it not our aim to be something that we haven't been? And who knows, maybe the changes in our lives are the way we try to leave the cycle. I am trying to break this cycle too. My obsessive compulsive habit, my problems with temper, my tendency to zone out of space, and my lack of attention to things. I am trying to resolve all these, as I am trying to line me up to finish my quest with the most fulfilling story ever. But during the way, I stumble upon lots of unsatisfactory unveiling about the quest itself. I see people who are attracted to things that are, sadly, less than their value. I see people who feed on their selfish need. And I see people who leave away the precious things in their lives, which are, sadly, not things.
So I pray, that people find their way to break the cycles, and prove King Solomon wrong. There are actually things you haven't seen. Surprise even the sun.
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