Why life was never meant to be controlled, perfected, or feared—only lived.
Life unfolds as it is—uncertain, fragile, organic. Like a flower before bloom, existence is neutral, neither promise nor threat. We cannot be certain of the outcomes of our actions or the resolutions of our energies. We can gaze and estimate, but ultimately, it is always something else at the end of the day. It is like painting a canvas. You may want to paint the most beautiful picture in a certain style, yet the execution might take it down another path altogether.
The problem arises when we seek certainty amidst spontaneity. The obsession with perfection converts spontaneity into chaos. Chaos is spontaneity that has lost its unpredictable rhythm. It is one thing to care that our efforts are not wasted, and another to acknowledge that there are things in the world beyond our control—and things that can never be understood. Not because we lack intellect, but because they are not meant to be understood by it. They are not bound to emotion either. They exist beyond perception and logic.
And yet, we begin to nurture life. Life is a deep forest, and we attempt to manicure it. Our elevated sense of the human condition, our gaze fixed on the horizon, fails to acknowledge the vastness of life as a whole. We nurture life with good thoughts, honest deeds, discipline, and rituals of hardship—believing preparation grants control.
This belief pushes us into an endless loop of anxiety. A constant sense of not understanding becomes fear. And living a fearful life is more dangerous than danger itself—because we do not even know if the danger is real. But we are certainly afraid of uncertainty. Living in fear and flight mode is unhealthy for the body and the mind. It takes a toll. It creates emotional imbalance. Honest deeds, discipline, and hardship lose their meaning at this stage, because the purpose of effort shifts—from creation to self-protection. This attitude is not progressive; it is defensive.
The ultimate reality of life is failure. We are all going to die. The conclusion of every life that has ever existed is the same: death. This is not pessimism. It is rationality. And yet, we live as though life is supposed to be good to us. Life is not good or bad. It simply is. And if there is any goal to life, it is to realise this truth—that everything we hold as true or false is impermanent.
So why expect? And what are we expecting anyway?
Trust the process. Let the outcome be serenity. Replace thinking with living. Convert uncertainty into spontaneity. Improvise as you go. A doctor in the making may fall in love with bodies and become a classical painter. You never know where life may take you.
Give it up. Renounce it to the spirits. Lie back on nothing. Fall—there is no end to it. Trust that you will land nowhere, only disappear. And that is okay. Perhaps that is the ultimate goal of life: to disappear before death arrives. To die before dying.
We have left the caves physically, but our psyche still shelters there—scanning shadows for danger. Life is not a threat. It is something to be rejoiced in. Something to be celebrated. Do not waste time doing otherwise.
Growth does not require fear as a companion. Blooming was never reckless.
It was always natural.
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