Jigsaw Puzzle Part 1

"Life keeps throwing curveballs that break my hand and leave me hurting.. But I keep walking" - Anonymous
     Life isn't easy. Life isn't easy at all. For this post I'd like to talk about fears and fiction..two things I have learned about and discussed recently.
Fear:
 distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain
     Why do people become afraid? Is it knowledge that one, or one's lover ones are being put in danger, as the definition states? And what are we truly afraid of? And when I ask that I mean to ask: if one is afraid, or has a fear of something, why is that fear present? Are we naturally born with fears? Are our fears developed as young children based on what we encounter?..does the young child spooked by a clown then have a lifelong fear of clowns? Or do our fears change with us as we change?
Fiction:
 something feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story
     Fiction is something many people enjoy, whether it be a book or a movie. Fiction tells a story that, although it may/may not be realistic, a person can relate to in some way. People turn to fiction because it provides an adventure. Not only does it provide an adventure, it's provides it in such a way that the person reading/watching/listening to a fictional story is safe, yet experiencing every move the characters make. For humans, this can allow us to feel more valued and important. Fiction also creates excitement. This is why humans turn to fiction so often. We long for an escape from reality while wanting conflict to occur and then, most importantly, a resolution. Perhaps when the resolution occurs in a story, we are more hopeful that there will be a resolution in our own lives.
      I am not against fiction whatsoever, but for some, fiction could turn into more than just entertainment. Even turning to fiction as a temporary escape from reality could have a negative impact, even if we aren't aware of it. Just like anything else, the more and more we rely on and turn to  something/someone, the bigger chance that/they have of becoming an "idol" to us.

She's a butterfly with a broken wing.
He's a fire out of control.
They're stars without their glow.
They are the broken.

She prays one day she'll be free,
to fly away from the hurt she sees,
to find herself, to be real.

He follows a trend; he can't get out,
he holds a great power,
but can't be held back.
He wants change.

They know their duty,
They're held back.
They scream and cry in pain.
They need someone to see them.

Impact

     I recently finished listening to an audio book version of Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. Normally I don't listen to audio books, but the majority of the story is Hannah Baker, a high school student who committed suicide, speaking on tapes. She records the thirteen reasons why she chose to kill herself. When she was a new student at the school, one little thing happened, which people chose to make into a bigger thing, and work off of it.
     Hannah Baker spends several years living in an area that believes many rumors about her, which are all lies, and treats her differently, sometimes badly, because of them. During those years, she handles the rumors, the lack of friends, the inability to trust anybody, and the overall struggle to connect. As she goes through the 13 reasons why she did what she did, she mentions, over and over, that nobody realized what they were doing to her. Some of them knew that their actions were far from kind, but they didn't even comprehend what kind of an impact it had on her. One small rumor about Hannah caused many, many more rumors, which everyone chose to believe and act on.
     Hannah tried her best to find someone she could confide in, and trust. Every time she tried to, she got hurt, because the person was using her. She had to learn to cope. Eventually... coping wasn't good enough. She had decided to float through high school, making no connections with ANYONE. Or she'd just get hurt again. That decision didn't last long because of other events that happened, and she gave up.
     No one knew or even noticed what was happening with her, and if they did, she pushed them away. Jay Asher's book causes so many questions to arrive. How do we impact others? And how much?
     It has to be different between each person, right? Every person has to be different...able to handle and react to things differently. How often do we pay attention to how we treat others? And when we do.. do we let ourselves get away with treating others badly? Could it be that, sometimes, what we view as okay, could be viewed as awful or terrible to someone else? Could what we do, even if it is completely innocent, cause a chain of events that slowly get worse? Is there any possible way to prevent this? If a chain of events is started, can it be stopped? Why don't we notice when someone may be slipping away? And if we do, why is it that those people are ignored when they need help the most?

"I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much of impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes we have no clue."-Hannah Baker

Apathy

The dictionary definition for apathy is: lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
     What is apathy caused by? Self-centeredness? Difference of opinions? Do human beings simply have an ability to turn off the "caring" part in them? Is it always voluntary? And if not, is there a way to turn the "caring" part in them back on? Could apathy potentially be a sign of a much bigger issue?
     And who can distinguish apathy from, potentially, anger, frustration, or stress? Or do they go hand in hand?
A lot of times, when a person displays apathy, whomever they display it to may become upset. Who is this unfair to? The apathetic or the receiving end of apathy? It changes in each situation, right? So what are we to do? Use our best judgement, act wisely, and prevent upset. Apathy can fall under many different categories, such as: ignorance and rudeness, so it should be treated the same way. Properly.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger"--Proverbs 15:1

"A patient man has a great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."--Proverbs 14: 29

Simplicity

      Naturally, I have a very complex way of looking at things, and processing things. Sometimes, it gets SO complex it becomes too complicated for me to think about. I begin to forget details, confuse different points, and it simply becomes a mess. I sometimes feel like I'm working on a project with too many rules and guidelines to even remember...and I become flustered.
     I wish I could always keep things simple, instead of complicating things, and making a mess. Wouldn't it be so nice if society was simple, too? Instead of always having to sort out messes that shouldn't have been made? I wonder if society has always been complicated, in one way or another. According to some, the age we live in now is the most complicated because of technology. But is it really? Is it possible that society has always been complicated in it's own way? Society during the Middle Ages must have had it's own complexity, just as modern day society does. The complications may not be the exact same, but the same amount of complexity in societies has always been around.
     Wouldn't it be nice to find the core reasons of over complications? Then potentially go back to the basics in society? Could that possibly relieve some stress on today's modern population?

Going Through the Motions

      One year I had an English teacher who gave us a project. We were allowed to do anything we wanted, as long as it involved a book that he accepted. Our teacher never gave us a due date. So, naturally, almost no one worked on the project at all. Three months later, our teacher said that the projects were due in a week. Whoa! No one had even read their book yet. What were we to do?? ...a week later everyone handed in their projects. Some were amazing, and some.. Not so much. Those who had done the work from the beginning, without knowing the deadline, reaped the better results. Isn't it just the same in life?
      Ecclesiastes 8:8a tells us that no one knows when their time will on earth will end. Some will live anticipating death... going through the motions. And yet some will live life to the fullest, knowing that death could just be around the corner, or far away. Those who live life to the fullest, following God's will for them, will reap the reward. They won't hold off until they know when their time on earth is almost through. Those who anticipate death coming, and go through the motions..may just find themselves scrambling to try and live when.. IF.. they find out their time is almost over. So doesn't it seem much more logical to live life to the fullest starting NOW?