Every so often, I have a stretch of time where I'm really annoyed with almost everyone. Usually it has to do with the mindlessness with which society lives life. We pursue such trivial things. Above all else, we pursue comfort. Comfort for the here and now or we work for comfort later.
Comfort can produce a midlife crisis. Comfort makes no progress toward anything except laziness and mediocrity. It doesn't take a wise man to realize that laying on the couch all day doesn't bring satisfaction (except while its happening). It takes only a slightly wiser man to realize that a big house, nice car, affluent neighborhood, and a high paying job doesn't produce satisfaction either.
I don't know how people can be so blinded (often including myself) by the lies of being comfortable. We look at people who are changing the world and gave so much of themselves to do it and we think,
"Wow, that's awesome. I wish I could do something like that."
OR
"Wow, that's awesome. I wish I could get the recognition for doing something like that."
Again, this is missing the point. The people who truly change the world (not movie stars and actors) don't do it for the recognition. They do it because they believe in the mission of whatever it is that they're doing. AND, they give themselves entirely to that mission. People like Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Beethoven, Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, etc...
We see people do these awesome things and we envy their sense of purpose and drive towards great things. Then, as soon as we recognize that this envy could motivate us to move out of our comfort zones, we put it out of our minds and go back to our cozy lives. This cycle repeats every so often throughout all of our lives.
Cycle
1. We're comfortable
2. A revolutionary idea, person, or movement crosses our path and causes us to consider doing something to promote good.
3. We get scared that doing something out of the ordinary will cost us our comfort - the very thing that produces no satisfaction anyway.
4. We make the decision not to act because we're scared.
5. We drift back towards pursuing comfortable lives
6. Repeat
Then, yesterday, a friend helped me to realize something.
I was telling him that when I first became a dad, I felt like I had to fake that I loved my kids. It felt like extended babysitting at first and the instantness of it caught my heart off guard. My brain knew that I should love my kids, so I acted like I loved them. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy them, I just didn't love them the way I loved Kristen or others in my life.
Then, as time went on, and I practiced loving my kids, it was like my heart caught up with my mind. I really do love my kids now. I'd do anything for them.
In my life, I've learned that I can teach myself to have the feeling associated with love by practicing the practical part of love. My brain is usually a step ahead of my heart. Once my heart catches on, it sticks.
I think this is where people get stuck. Their brains are presented with something they know is true and good. But, before their hearts can get too attached to the idea, they forcibly forget about it and slip back into the lie that living comfortably is best pursuit.
