What would our lives be like if this never happened? In the many rules of the game we call our own, we often find ourselves pondering whether or not there are alternate universes, or if we have a choice in what happens to us.
As a society, we often find ourselves deep in our heads, full of the darkness we fear. We struggle to find the deeper meaning of our lives, often questioning our identities. Like the recent Pixar movie Soul, it shows that we are often trying to find a purpose in this huge universe, when sometimes we just need to push back and enjoy life — it’s the beauty of living.
That’s easier said than done, especially when what seems to be a disadvantaging mistake is announced by the overpowering dictator named life. Unfortunately, we aren’t some cute blue little blobs (even though sometimes I wish I was), but that’s the best part. We are complex, unique and valuable human beings, but we are blind to the things that happen to us. Things happen with no given explanation, and we just want it to be whatever works best. It’s unfair.
In those moments — the moments of struggle, the moments of pain, the moments of feeling trapped — you know you have to shed the skin of what once was pride or even ambition. Rip down your belongings of materialism, replace your toys from childhood, and paint over the bright colors of expression. But we don’t want to cover it up, even when we sometimes know that something better is coming. That piece of light, that piece of fighting back, is what makes dealing with trauma so valuable.
We live this life once. We are supposed to live it the way we want to. But things happen, life happens. We recover. We fight. When we are at our weakest, we know that we want what we want. This overwhelming figure of trauma is the ruthless powerful dictator of our torment and carries dragged eyes, darting fingers and a slender build. The cloudiness it exhibits crosses a bland and ripped aura, where no one is safe.
There’s a constant physical and emotional war, and it takes a terrible toll on you. The experience matures you rapidly. Protection and honor are no longer in sight. You are exposed, but no matter what you do, you are ready. You’ve got this. Your experiences do not determine who you are, because you make your own story. You have control, even though it feels like you do not. But at the end of the day, it’s you. It’s always been you. Be kind to you. Because, do you even know who you are? You are light. You are love. You are power. And you, my friend — you will win.