Thoughts/ Excerpts

T H I R T Y E I G H T

Out of two options, we always go for the easier one.

Cleaning up, dressing up, going to the store to buy stuff, watching self-improvement videos and then skipping half of them because we're busy, setting an alarm clock and hitting snooze until we're too late again, watching out for oneself, and oneself only, buying a book to seem more eloquent and then pushing it to the farthest corner in the room, writing a journal entry and then leaving the rest blank because after all, it doesn't matter anymore, procrastinating until there's no time left to work on assignments anymore, putting makeup on to look good and keep evaluating eyes off of us: these are all things that are easily attained.

We never finish what we started. We never put in more effort to be someone better than we were yesterday. We just strive for more. More results for less effort. A big car, big house, big TV, big food, big phones, big laptops, big screens, big sunglasses, big bags, big cash, the list could go on for days, when none of it really matters.

Yes, we are dependent on money to sustain our very beings. But do we need to toss aside a sincere character for what we earn? Do we need to think of giving as a transaction instead of giving to truly give? We have a choice in all of this. 

Why don't we take the reigns in our hands.

It's easy to make money. Yes, it takes hard work. But out of working on our character and earning money, the latter is always the easier option. 

We're blind to reality, yet we call the façade we build realistic. Everyone can earn money. Heck, everyone could afford big cars, big houses and a huge TV if they'd put their mind to it. But do we really know what it takes to form an ideal character? No, we don't have to be leaders of our generation. We don't have to be the one who changes the world. We don't even have to be the ones who inspire others to do better. These are exertions that exceed who we are right now.

We are narcissistic beings right now. We don't look out for others, yet we care so much about ourselves. We are literally blinded by the reflection in the mirror, wanting to improve it as much as we can by losing weight, putting on makeup, doing skincare, exercising, undergoing plastic surgery. All of this isn't necessary. It's easy.

Molding our own character is much harder. Diligence, humbleness, sincerity, love, affection for others, gratefulness, altruism, these are all characteristics we overlook when we see the reflection in the mirror. These are all characteristics we are too shallow to attain when in reality, the reflection in the mirror is just that. A reflection. Do we look into our souls to define who we are, or do we look to our faces, and bodies to modify our physiognomy?  It's always easier to attain the latter. It's always more favorable on the long run to strive for the former.