Finding truth amongst all of the lies won’t save the world but it will provide one with an extraordinary life.
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When we were young adults we made a choice that didn’t really feel like much of a choice. The reason it didn’t was because most of us were never aware of the alternatives. In other words, we were domesticated, trained to follow a set path. Our path was carved and paved for us before we were ever born. Very few people have the wisdom at such a young age to look beyond the path. Those with such wisdom have peripheral vision. They see and seek what’s off the prearranged path. They turn off their autopilot.
I have two nieces who are quickly coming to the intersection of life where one can choose to live an ordinary existence or the more often difficult extraordinary existence. The former is a life that already surrounds them. They’ve been swimming in such a life since they were brought into this world. It’s a life of pursuing financial security and labeling it happiness. Their education and eventual pursuit of job security, health insurance, a nice car, and a home make up the foundation of such a pursuit. Add a partner and children to the mix and one has collected all the necessary cards to play the game of life as most of us know it. One can be very fulfilled by such choices however, there are choices that can take you to extraordinary places that have no path at all.
I’m not necessarily talking about physical places, although that can be part of the experience. Most of what I’m talking about is the emotional state of being. Currently most of us live lives in a state of stress usually affiliated with some underlying fear of financial insecurity. We have debt. We have expectations. We have wants. Quickly we become caught up in this emotional roller coaster and spend our lives playing this silly little game. We say things like, “That’s life.” The problem is this isn’t life at all … it’s autopilot.
Life is best experienced when our autopilot is turned off.
The prearranged, paved path laid out before us disappears. It becomes exhilarating. We confuse this feeling with fear and usually quickly return to our comfortable mode of autopilot. This fear is self-imposed but it comes from decades of conditioning via domestication and indoctrination (formal education) and it comes from those who love us the most. Our loved ones fear for us. They try and pull us back into the fold for what they believe is our own good. It’s a kind sentiment but it stems from no actual experiences. Those who are wise are able to let go and trust the individual making such a choice.
I’m a late bloomer. I did not jump off the path until my mid forties. I turned off the autopilot after searching for the off switch for years. I had a feeling within me for years that there had to be more. I went through the gambit of fixes, most of which included financial security. It wasn’t until I began pursuing something other than money in the bank that the path began to disappear. I began to look for ways to fulfill my desires with little to no money. I’m still looking and still discovering. This evolution in my psyche is what’s exhilarating and ultimately it’s what is making my life extraordinary.
I’m fortunate because I was born into a great support system both emotionally and financially. What I’ve discovered however, is an entire community of people functioning without autopilot that had no such support system. Many of them were forced to look beyond the path because life under the autopilot was unacceptable. They weren’t sure if there was something else out there but they sure as hell were going to find out. What an extraordinary discovery they made. It required nerve, guts, patience, perseverance, and humility. I am still learning from them and will until I’m no longer breathing.
As my nieces approach their time to chose I can’t help but feel they are fortunate and cursed. They are fortunate to be conscious that there is another way to do things. My wife and I are only one example out of endless possibilities. However they are cursed because of their consciousness. Maybe they would be better off believing that life works a certain way. This way things may remain less complicated emotionally if there are no significant choices to make. However, they have a tremendous support system which I believe is beneficial for people with inherent privilege. Privilege doesn’t exactly push folks to move beyond the path but if a proper support system exists then possibilities can become reality.
The path is our societal narrative.
We were born on this path and it requires massive injustice to be maintained and travelled upon. It requires death and destruction beyond our wildest dreams. It requires these atrocities to remain hidden from those of us who benefit from them. This way we can continue down the path without any concern for its impact or consequences on everyone and everything. When we shut down the autopilot then life begins in earnest. It requires questioning everything we’ve ever been told … including this essay. Finding truth amongst all of the lies won’t save the world but it will provide one with an extraordinary life. Trust me.
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