The Feeling of Hopelessness.

The state the world is in leaves much to be desired. Watching the news on the telly these days can contribute to a feeling that the world is deteriorating beyond recognition, and that the downward spiral does not look like it will abate. As I look around me, it seems really daunting. That light at the end of the tunnel looks like a fantasy, and not a distant possibility. The feeling of hopelessness accompanying these thoughts can get really overwhelming.

As I rummage through these feelings that surface, I decided to take stock of my internal conversations. It was all very easy to fall prey to emotions. These feelings of hopelessness can easily suck one into the victim mentality. The path of least resistance is to feel overwhelmed, wallow in self pity, dwell on our own misfortunes, wish for miracles and the crux of the problem, do nothing but wait.

I have long admired true stories of characters that triumphed against all odds. Oftentimes, wished I had the tenacity to succeed in the face of adversity. These figures appear to possess characteristics which I thought I did not, hence, not being able to achieve the results desired. I would consider myself intelligent, experienced, brave and adventurous. So I am exposed to the myriad of inspirational quotes that are so cliched, but goes in one ear, and as quickly exits the other. Understanding a phrase, does not mean one lives it. People throw around phrases like, "Live like there's no tomorrow" or "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", but few, if any, actually LIVE by those values on a daily basis. We like to sound clever, even to the extent of preaching such values to others, (myself not excluded), but to be conscious enough to live it is just another matter altogether.

So as I reflected on the choices of reactions and responses I have towards feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that arise, I find myself wanting to look at myself as a fighter. For me, a fighter does not quit. A fighter fights, no matter how hard it gets. This does not equate to being reckless, or to fight with abandon when the situation calls for a step back to restrategise. It means, regroup, reassess, restock, then take action. If it fails, repeat as necessary.

Because the way I see it, life is how much you put into it. If you invest 10 dollars, your life will look like 10 dollars. If you decide that your life should look like a million bucks, it's time to put in the investment to see the results you so desire. You may not have a million bucks to put in all at once, but if you keep your head down and put all you have into it, it'll start looking pretty sweet.

Note to self: Heed own words. ;)

Keep your heads down people, and see you at the million dollar club.

The Feeling of Importance.

I was recently asked the question of why do people crave attention.

I postulate that wanting attention is a natural and instinctive reaction as a human being. It is a social behaviour that generates energy so that a group thrives.

The next question is, why do most people want it so bad, and why do some want it not at all.

I suggested that those who don't have it, want it. Those who have it, want more of it. And there is another category of those who have too much of it (too much by definition of the individual recipient), want none of it.

So the final question was, what does attention give that creates this want for it?

One of the reasons that was suggested was the need for one to feel important. That as an individual they matter in the scheme of things. Because most individuals have not learnt the capacity to derive appreciation from self, this leads to reliance from an external source to provide self worth. Getting attention leads one to believe that he/she has value, hence in their own minds, equates to feeling important.

This of course is a parasitical behaviour, one prevalent in the society we live in today. Not only do people no longer see that this behaviour is destructive and not sustainable, it is expected, nay demanded of random strangers to acknowledge their existence, because that individual feels that they 'deserve' it.

Deserve, fair and right, are owed to no one. If you want something, you have to fight for it.