Hello everyone, Leon R.M. Auguste here again with another post! Today I’m publishing a reflection piece on parents and the world around us. Please note that this post was originally written on March 12, 2017, when I lived in California.
Without further delay, I hope you enjoy it!
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It was a fine Sunday afternoon. I spent the day at LACMA to complete an assignment for my Humanities 115 class. Nothing too out of the ordinary happened. However, what I did experience, was a slight feeling of awe at all of the craftsmanship and artistic creativity housed deep within each piece.
As I walked around, observing the different pieces and the many sculptures dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, I was beginning to question something deep within. A burning desire to know: What happened to our passion? I mean, as a collective. Individually, we are unique. But as a group, this world in modern times seems to fall flat. So, of course, and ironically enough, the answer lies in history.
Our parents didn’t want to raise their children the way their parents raised theirs. So our parents tried to treat us kindly and equally. They undoubtedly taught us some precious characteristic traits, no doubt.
Yet the truth of the matter is, life is more than just being pleasant and agreeable.
Life is about challenging yourself; it’s about raising together as a united front. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and doing things that you might not have otherwise thought of partaking in.
If you look at the past, on our shared history, you can see many different sides to the world. Groups of people fought bravely and even ruthlessly to get what they believed was justified for the group.
But the fact of the matter is, the humans who have long since perished knew a thing-or-two about living. Our ancestors knew how to fight for what was right – even if they lost their lives in the end.
Life is about both beautiful and ugly experiences. It’s about feeling profoundly with your heart and thinking deeply with your mind. It’s about sharing ideas and taking action against any injustice brought on us.
Indeed, I am very grateful I was raised in a nurturing and caring environment. It’s given me the very stable foundation I have today. However, I say this with true love as my intent: I cannot survive alone on being pleasant and agreeable all the time.
Do you understand what I’m getting at?
But what I do know is this. Never take for granted the truth of your existence. Never pretend to be someone else that you’re not, just to fit in with the “cool” crowd. Instead, do what your mind tells you to do. Even though listening to your heart is only meant for reckless, animated, and foolish people, that’s the way I live my life. I live in the moment; I live for the rush that comes with living a genuinely human life.
So I say this as a conclusion. Do not let anyone tell you how to live your life.
After all, we’re all living in extraordinarily troubling times. How can anyone expect us to live so carefully? Indeed, not even God would blame us mortal men for our actions of passion and excitement. Our original sin, I suppose you can say, is that we care too much. Thus, we continue to the cycle of beauty, life, and painful struggle – all in the hopes of making a better world for the next generation of children.
Life was never guaranteed to be easy. But, if you learn to love dancing in the rain instead of waiting for the storm to pass, you’re already ahead in life!
Forever in Your Debt,
Leon R.M. Auguste
Leon R.M. Auguste 