A COLLABORATION: The HUMAN EXPERIENCE

“There is no happiness without the things that you perceive to be suffering.”

In the midst of the cycle of worry, if you come back to the here and now, all of the thoughts of the past and future fade away, along with all the anxiety, stress, or depression that comes with memories of the past and thoughts for the future.

I find that bringing myself into the here and now, the present moment, is a calming action and a very humbling one. As humans, we fill our minds with memories and thoughts because we are ever-changing beings, letting the past we have experienced create the future we will live. We live so much of our life in our heads causing us so much suffering and overthinking and overwhelm. That’s what we get for being conscious being. We all have desires: money, love, excitement, solitude, happiness, etc., and we all have fears, no matter what they may be. When you look at the big picture, our human experience is very similar. Although in the world we have created for ourselves, corporate ladders, the “American dream,” consumerism, and lavish living are big dreams for many. When it comes down to what we truly need and crave as humans, we have been led down a road that can take us away from the beauty of living life to the fullest in the moment we are in, creating space to share who we are as individuals honestly and connecting to others on deeper levels, creating connections with foundations that are strong, deep, and long-lasting. There is so much life to live, if we were just able to consciously remove ourselves from our heads and fully experience what is in front of us. I don’t wish to dull the experience of my life with distractions or constant substance use that make me feel more comfortable in the way I am living. Uncomfortable feelings should be held in a space of interest, growth, and understanding. So I sit in my discomfort and let my being feel it and experience it. Letting go of the thought causing me discomfort and being fully present to the experiences of the day. Besides, there cannot be light without darkness, nor life without death, nor good times without bad times, so we must accept that darkness when it comes but continue to bring light and not be overcome by the bad times.