Today, it seems as though we are all trying to live a life where we do everything while keeping our lives supposedly “simple”.
All over social media, there are photos that inspire us to live our lives as minimalists, and as long as we keep our lives simple, we will be rewarded with the ideas of success and happiness. The all white living room with a glass table and neutral colours all around desperately tries to portray that being ideal is also not needing much.
Here is the reality. Lives are complex, and busy and sometimes get cluttered. That clutter is meaningful because it means that we are doing so much that we do not have time to ensure that everything is put together perfectly.
The same thing is happening with our minds.
Why are we always trying to thrive for serenity and peace within our mindfulness? Why not thrive to question things and not be afraid to ask “why?”. It is impossible to know everything; if we ever reach such serenity, it does not mean that we are at peace with our knowledge but that we have stopped trying to learn more.
Lately, my mind has been put on an ecstasy of curiosity, and I hope to never sober up.
As I spoke with a friend on the bus, we talked about why people use small talk. It’s easy, safe and socially acceptable. Though by us both avoiding small talk on the bus, we were both able to learn parts about the other person that we did not know. I enjoyed that conversation a lot more than if we had just keep to talking about our summer plans and how we can’t wait for finals to be over.
I refuse to stop asking questions. I refuse to settle for only one answer to complex questions. Wether people accept it or not, I will explore thoughts of myself and others; that of my peers; those who I look up to; those who I agree with as well as those who I disagree with.
This may leave me with answer that I do not like and are unfortunate, but at least I know.
Ignorance is bliss, but that doesn’t mean that knowledge will always lead to woe.
Goodbye Simplicity,
Hello Complexity, let’s get complicated.
Sophie