The Bass in the Song
You grow up and discover that everything you worried about as a teenager was absurd and trivial. You didn’t realize it at the time — or cared to, to be honest — but it had the potential to ruin your adult life. And now you can’t help but think that if you had known what you know now when you were younger, you would have been much more successful and fulfilled, not to mention avoided making a lot of terrible blunders.
Now that you’ve had a taste of adulthood, it not only appears to be pleasurable, but there’s also a purpose to it all. I mean, you have the ability to create an entirely new world for yourself. However, you realize that it could come crashing down just as quickly. Life can be a savage beast at times. Furthermore, it’s not as if you only make silly choices and blunders until you reach a certain age. Even as you become more mature, you continue to make mistakes. Each day brings its own set of challenges, not to mention the hubristic belief in being invincible, as if you’ve got it all figured out. And boy, do we forget the lessons we’ve learned from our mistakes in the past.
In fact, you discover the hard way that there’s a lot that’s beyond your control. This isn’t like you having to cope with your mother refusing to let you go out and play with other kids, which makes you feel miserable for days (even for years, as some people’s therapy reveals). Now that you’re an adult and the sole captain of the proverbial ship that is your life, you’re dealing with real life, something existential. You believe you have power over your life, but it actually has control over you!
You only liked things when you were younger. You had dreams, but they were all a bit inconsistent. As you become older, you develop goals and aspirations. Suddenly, you require structure, something solid. It’s not only about thoughts and beliefs; it’s about something that actually identifies you down to your marrow and spirits. Don’t get me started on the desire to make an impact on the world. The pressure, especially when you see your peers, who you grew up with, accomplishing incredible things. Then there’s life’s petty sentiments. Oh, and the disappointment of it all because we can’t see into other people’s souls and are all duped.
Then one day you decide to make a list of everything that gives your life meaning. Life isn’t always kind to you. We’d all like it to be all roses and rainbows. It’d be a slice of heaven on earth. Regrettably, this is not the case. You must fight for what you believe in and for what you want. Some say that’s life. Others say, “Welcome to adulthood.” Finally, you realize that chaos is what gives your life meaning. It baffles you, of course. How? Then you recall this sermon you once heard about chaos and how it’s like the bass in a song, and you should be the melody.
It wasn’t supposed to be hard or easy. That isn’t the point, in fact. It’s about moving forward. There’s a reason you were so naive back then: you were only a child. You are now a tremendous bundle of experience. That’s how it works, and how you discover what genuinely matters to you.