Musings...

Routine.

Everyone follows some sort of routine in their lives.

If you’re a student, you wake up, go to school, follow a regimented schedule of lessons and breaktimes and meal times, go home, spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in front of the computer- whether it be slaving away at assignments and exams or mere idling on the internet- and finally sleep.

Or something along those lines. Give or take a few random activities. That you probably do on a weekly basis as well. Which becomes a part of your routine.

And you see? I’m already saying it like it’s a bad thing now.

For me… it seems as if routine IS a bad thing. There is something perverse about the term routine that tugs on an alarm chord inside of me and says “that’s not the way it’s meant to be”

For me, routine is almost synonymous with boring… But on what grounds are these instincts based on?

When asked what one’s purpose in life is, most people would probably say something like this, “My purpose in life is to be happy”

Which is fair enough I think. Cuz if it’s not being happy, what else is it? Right?

So in that sense, it IS okay to lapse into a routine in life if you are content with your routine.

Contentment. that’s a degree to hedonism. But surely there is nothing wrong with being content?

So then I begin to think… what some people call ‘contentment’, others call ‘complacent’. What some say is ‘comfort’, others deem as ‘comfort zones’…

What some call routines, others say are ‘commitments’. Where’s the line drawn?

In essence, what we’re doing- this routine that we get into- I think can be generally and basically bottled down to one reason. Purpose.

We seek purpose in what we are doing. We stick to our routines- not without complaint, but surely without action taken in response to our own complaints- because we believe we will find a purpose, ultimately, in doing what we’re doing.

That’s why when some people don’t find a purpose in what they do, they quit. Or they seek other things to fill the lack of purpose in their lives. Now this could come in many forms; some ‘healthy’, some ‘unhealthy’…

Society puts many labels on things. As much as we don’t recognize it half the time, we have first impressions and judgments about everything we ever come in contact with. These opinions are usually societal definitions of morality unwittingly imposed upon our subconscious minds. The other day, I watched a documentary on how babies at a young age tend to prefer white people over black people. Babies who have never been told to believe otherwise. But I deviate. That discussion for another time…

Hmm, but I suppose that isn’t completely irrelevant. Because what some people find purpose in, others may not agree with. But one thing remains: everyone believes that their own purpose is right, everyone stands in allegiance to their own advocations. Because otherwise… what else is there to cling on to if there isn’t this purpose?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”

I think there is a prodigious amount of truth in that.

In the sense that… ultimately, what we believe in, what our purposes are don’t matter. As long as we are not limiting ourselves.

And I’m not going to be the judge of what limits you and what doesn’t. Society isn’t the judge of that either.

Whether you believe in God or not, ultimately, I think there is something inside everyone that calls out for something more.

As a matter of fact, one of the things that could possibly delight someone the most is to hear, “I don’t know anyone else who would’ve been more suited to/ been better at this-this-and-that”

I think something inside everyone calls out for something: recognition

And it’s not just recognition for their achievements or talents. Or how nice they look that day or how ‘popular’ they are.

It’s a call for uniqueness.

We all want to be unique.

And for me, I truly believe right now that this is found in God… but I’m still in the making, and I’m still work in progress. I am looking for my own uniqueness as much as anyone else is, who may or may not be finding it in God.

Of all hardest of things to understand in the world, it is hardest to understand yourself. You can put a label on many things, but you can’t put a label on yourself.

Because that’s it, I think we’re all made unique. And I think that as much as we may find excuses in saying that it’s okay to fall back on routine, the fact is, I think routine limits us in one way or another. And I think every single person has so much more to show for. So much more. And one of the worst things you can do to yourself is put limitations on yourself.

Perhaps we stick to routine, because we feel it is too idealistic not to stick to it. We dismiss it as ‘reckless’ or ‘naive’….

But perhaps we stick to routine because we are scared of what it means to escape from our limitations.

Adventure is something we are all scared of.

But doesn’t the word adventure immediately ring something positive inside of you?

I guess human conditioning has some truth in it after all… it is conditioned for a reason. And adventure is certainly coined to be something positive for a reason.

So I don’t know… I can’t even put a finger on what it is that I am rambling on about right now.

All I know is that when I liberate myself from my own fears, I will open myself up to a world of opportunities that I would never imagine could be offered to someone like me… Me? Really?

So I guess what I really wanted to say is that… I will be working on that. =)

lctx.

(the photo's link to my personal tumblr)