Significance

We are a plagued society. Plagued by the idea that there is something better out there. That our lives can somehow be better then they are now. Hoping life is somehow more significant then it seems to be now. For some whose hope clouds their own judgment, life will never bring them the release from the drudgery they face on a daily basis.

However, some don’t feel this sentiment and are happy with whom they are. It seems on the diametric scale, we as humans tend to move fluidly up and down throughout the courses of our lives. The scale ranges from being pleased with ones station in life, to being plagued by the idea that we are not living up to our potential or that we are somehow insignificant to the world (not pleased). This feel tends to manifest itself as a hole in our lives. One of the most popular ways to fill this hole is by escaping into a world of fictional fantasy. The stories are familiar and yet diverse in their portrayal of alternative lives. Lives that we are potentially searching for. I have mulled this escapist sentiment in my head for the last few months and have hence written to you all about what I’ve been philosophizing.

The fiction can be a simple as a scenario of being LOST on a mysterious deserted island, or it can be complex, whereby we have extraordinary powers that allow us to become HEROES to society. Still at the core of these escapist fantasies is our inability to feel important in our real world lives, and how these stories allow us to see a life that transcends the monotony we face in reality. Otherwise why would we have to imagine ourselves in these fantasies? How many times have you imagined that if your life was just slightly different you could fulfill a potential that the lack of said difference is not allowing? That maybe if you had made a slightly different choice, your life would somehow be more satisfying. What is at the bottom of all this? Is it just that life in reality sucks, or is it more innate then this?

Often times I wonder about ancient humankind and if the lives of daily humans where riddled with the same type of desire. How long has the grass been greener on the other side? Or is that idea a product of modern (post industrial revolution) life, not shared by our ancestors whose lives were filled with a constant struggle to survive? In a certain sense I would argue the latter point, that we have the free time now to wonder how life could be better, that humans half a millennium ago had their lives filled with enough toil to make them feel satisfied, or potentially be distracted from how mundane life was (if it was). If you ever get the chance to work land in order to eat, you feel more satisfied that your work has gone towards something important. At least I do. Maybe that too is a factor in this phenomenon. How many people in this day and age see the final effect of their work, and how significant it really is?

The idea of superhuman powers and abilities has attracted my interest since I was a young boy. Enough that one of my most popular questions I ask people is precisely: “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” You can learn quite a deal about a person’s desires and goals based on their answer to this question. That is if they are fun enough to know what I mean by superpower. I also have put quite a descent amount of thought into what my power would be: the ability to absorb/copy all the information in a persons mind by only touching them. I am a sucker for honesty, so of course my power involves seeing a person for what they are, and not how they present themselves via a corporeal existence. It also involves learning things about people that I would never get the chance to under normal circumstances, including but not limited to immediately learning their tongue/language. Could you image the type of relief a person might feel when a complete stranger could literally speak their language after only meeting them (and shaking hands of course, which I understand would make it hard for me to “absorb” some people based on their cultural background)?

But I don’t want to dwell on that in this blog. That is I don’t want to condone losing yourself in a fantasy world rather then come to terms with the real one. In fact I posit forth the idea that we all have “powers”, just not in the traditional comic book sense. Everyone has semi-unique abilities that, while many might share, not every human has. These are generally referred to as “skills”. In my opinion everyone has skills, whether or not they recognize those skills or not is a different story. Fore example: some musicians can play-by-ear, whereby they can listen to a song and play it back for you, often times having only heard the song once. Some people have a natural sense of others and glide through society with ease, while others find themselves at constant odds with people. Some people are good at math, while others are good at English. These are only small examples of our unique abilities that we take for granted everyday. I count myself lucky that I was personally born with a number of gifts, many of which I am currently squandering. At the same time I can see the powers others have, often when they can’t recognize it for themselves (one of my powers).

That is a challenge that I would like to put forth to you, my readers, all five of you. If you can’t see the importance of your life, and how your work is significant, I challenge you to seek out that significance. Look inside yourself to see what powers you have, and whether you’re happy with how you are using said powers.