The phrase "station in life" is frequently resorted to by people attempting to section their life into periods that can be used as reference. Some might call a new job a new station. Some might refer to getting married or having children as entering a new station in their lives. I guess it makes sense if you consider life to be on a linear path. With a new station being just another stop to refuel and reload your train.
But does it really makes sense that we are on a linear path? Is there a final destination for all of us? Is their a direction we are supposed to be heading? Some might call my point of view as one of a pagan or an atheist. I just consider it as not taking the "out" offered by the concept of destiny. it is a haunting notion to believe that regardless of what one does, the paths they take, or the decisions they may make, that they will always end up in some place that was foreseen from their birth.
The mystery of tomorrow or the next corner provides human beings with the excitement and fear necessary for the pursuit of happiness. Trying to find what you believe you were designed to do leaves you with a frustrating existence that can never provide the fruits of its labor with any legitimate certainty.
We go to school in an attempt to fill ourselves with knowledge that will lead us to some place or situation that resembles happiness. We peruse the self-help section of bookstores searching for the one author who has figured out the way for you to "find yourself" or "make things better."
It is all an attempt to solve a problem that we have created. Why do we need to find our destiny? Why is there a particular job or conglomerate of material possessions that will provide us with the happiness we so utterly desire? Society has conditioned us to believe that we need to have these things, or obtain this knowledge if we ever want a shot at happiness. They have designed the "American Dream" as an example of what happiness supposedly is.
Some try to find comfort in faith. Religious organizations do offer a support system that can make you feel accepted and important and valuable, but not without requiring you to surrender any hopes or dreams or notions that do not coincide with the rhetoric of their ideology.
We can not rely on the thoughts and concepts of others to direct us to our own happiness. We must take control of the the opportunities that arise. We must find our own happiness. Our happiness is not going to come in the form of a car, or of a house or of some fabulous new cell phone. The pleasure that results from such things is minimal and temporary. The best chance we have at finding our own happiness lies in the relationships with those that are closest to us. The connections that we hold with our husbands, wives, children and most importantly friends are pivotal.
In the words of filmmaker Kevin Smith, "that's all life really is, is a series of moments, go seize yours..." This concept could not be truer in my eyes. We must cherish and pursue the special connections with other human beings. We must pursue the kind of bond with a person that will leave a smile on your face simply thinking about them.
I enjoy acquiring knowledge, but my goal in life is not to find my niche. My goal is not to have the house and the car. My goal is to have the girl, the family and the friends. People exist forever, while possessions deteriorate and are replaced. If college is my current station in life, I hope to jump the train. I do not want to be headed somewhere, but rather to someone, and I am not going to find them unless I go where the day takes me and not the tracks.
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