Have you ever read the novel 1984 by George Orwell? I was in a conversation the other day, and the idea from the novel came up in our talk. I was intrigued again by the system displayed in the society created in this novel. It is a totalitarian government in which everything in everyone's life is monitored, censored, and approved. There are many themes one can address in the novel, but I was intrigued by the idea of illusions created from the monitoring, censoring, and approving of your thoughts.
How many times do we put our value in the things we have accomplished or in the material things that we have? How many times do we lose sleep thinking about our future success (based on society's definition)? How many times are we put down, because we cannot embody the perfect person? I wonder, can all those simply be illusions?
If we think about the definition of success and greatness throughout different eras, we will find that our job position, our dress, and our material needs differ by a wide range. For example, two thousand years ago, there was no such thing as going to college to become a Nutritional Specialist. In the 1800's, cities were becoming the thing, and new job positions were being created. The greeks definitely had a unique way of dressing and portraying their definition of a perfect body. All of these definitions of success have changed throughout the time. None of them have stayed constant. They are simply illusions of the time.
Society enjoys monitoring, censoring, and approving of ideas. It has always done this. However, this does not mean we should be blinded to the true definition of life. Your job, your dress, and your material objects are important for your to survive, BUT they are not the most important and shouldn't be. I believe that what you do with your mind and actions are more important. Life is about growth and improvement. Life is about following your passion, and creating something for the world to use and improve. Life is about love.
I sincerely enjoy reading the book of Ecclesiastes from the Bible, only because I think it resonates throughout a multitude of generations. If you have time, I recommend it :) Life has many illusions, but only if we are able to focus our eyes and mind on what is really important can we feel fulfilled in life.
What are some obstacles that blind us to the truth and make us follow these illusions? I will leave that conversation for next Monday. I hope you can check it out. Feel free to comment on your thoughts. I would love to hear from you!
Be strong, be unique, and step our of your comfort zone!