WhyDid Wisdom: Grasping At Straws
While I tried to sleep last night with a dog curled around my left foot and a cat purring like a diesel engine in my right ear, I wasn’t particularly thrilled to wake up to a talking cat on TV this morning. That’s right, Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch was my wakeup call. Seeing as our family zoo partied all night, I was far too tired to bother changing the channel before opening my laptop and sipping on my morning beverage. So, when the credits rolled for Sabrina, I still didn’t bother changing the channel. I was too immersed in Twitter updates and Google Analytics to exert the extra effort.
Then something caught my ears:
“Everything you’re chasing is worth nothing.”
Some creepy spiritual infomercial was on, but this gentleman put into words something I have thought to myself many times. Right before I moved to Los Angeles, I think I was guilty of this very same thing. For so long, I had been putting emphasis on all the wrong things. Things that just did not and should not matter.
I am no longer 22, bright eyed and naive, so why in the world would I still be chasing the same things? The novelty of nightclubs and i-bankers and “celebrities” should wear off after a while, shouldn’t it? When does one realize that he or she is not a celebrity and is most likely not going to be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame any time soon? Why on earth are so many people still grasping at straws and trying to “live the dream”?
Our culture has somehow tricked itself into thinking that we are all a whole lot more important than we really are. With reality shows focusing on just about every topic under the sun and “stars” who are famous for adding nothing of value to humanity (talking to you Kardashians and Hilton), we all are under the impression that fame and fortune is just within reach.
The sad truth is that most people will never reach fame or fortune but will certainly exhaust themselves trying. Racking up credit card debt to buy “things” that make them feel good temporarily and to be “seen” at places that will make them feel “cool” in that moment. At the end of the day, none of this garbage matters. It’s all just white noise.
The things that matter are much simpler. Meaningful relationships, family, health, and kindess are just a few to start. Unfortunately, for some, they may not even realize what’s important until it is too late. And alas, they’ll be the last one in the nightclub with cranberry stains on their clothes and the janitors mopping the floor. Alone.
xx,
WhyDid