February 1st

Well, we’ve made it to the second month of 2024. I can feel how quickly this year will go by but don’t we say that every year? I guess as we get older we tend to pay more attention to how quickly things move and we come to realize no matter what tragedies or traumatic experiences any of us have the world keeps on moving. Not a minute or second is owed to us we are merely a speck on this planet and once we realize this and not just on the surface level once this realization becomes so engrained we tend to lose our minds. It’s the very reason why we are so biased toward our own lived experiences, there is no denying that, and if you do, you are simply lying to yourself. We feel we are the center of the universe which we are but it just happens to be our universe. Our experiences, thoughts, and emotions take priority, our concerns overshadow the next person's dilemmas in the grocery line; our frustrations feel more significant than a stranger's distress over a car accident; our joy diminishes the relevance of someone else's complaints. This self-centric view, while natural, highlights our individual perspectives as the core of our perceived universe. That's okay, though, because that's what makes us human. At special moments, we can set aside our self-centeredness and empathize with others. In fact, there are many people who do this more often than not. It takes effort and a voluntary will to put ourselves aside for the sake of understanding what others are going through. I guess I could say the rain inspired me to write this self-reflective passage. In reality, these are the same thoughts that run through my mind daily, but this time, they came to me as I stared through the glass windows, looking out at the rain.