while i’d like to expand on big thoughts like this in more depth, i will settle with using posts like this to note pieces of larger thoughts that i’d like to expand on at a later point. here’s one on the purpose of life:
not many people are geniuses, entrepreneurial sharks, or incredibly artistically talented people. in contemporary american life, the aspirational models tend to focus on some sort of ‘hard work’ yielding ‘material success.’ as someone who came from a working class family, and have moved into ‘middle class’ status, the material comfort i now have in comparison makes me realize how quickly money can lose its value in ones mind if they do not stay conscious of their relationship with it.
through the life-long process of defining an authoritative sense of self, i’ve come to find the most rewarding and existentially reassuring way to live life is to be emotionally generous and forgiving of others. i don’t mean be forgiving of egregious things like racism and possessive gaslighting, but lol, be more forgiving of people being awkward, making spelling mistakes, or having trouble keeping 4 kids under control. once that barrier is crossed, one can be more forgiving of their own gaffes, mistakes, and missteps. from there, it makes the process of working toward one major facet of emotional enlightenment much more straightforward: you can create enough emotional distance from intense feelings to better articulate your feelings and convey them to others so you can cultivate greater understanding with others, and a world in greater accordance with your boundaries and aspirations. food for thought.