“When I consider the brief span of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and behind it, the small space that I fill, or even see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces which I know not, and which know not me, I am afraid, and wonder to see myself here rather than there; now rather than then.” (Pascal; in May R, 1983)
In existing and being in this world, we are faced with the thrownness of life, of what it brings to the forefront. It makes me wonder about life. What we face and how we find a way to ‘be’ with all it has brought upon us. Life is not all terrible and gloomy. But the real anxiety we hold is the desire to live, be okay, feel okay and enjoy, but also being aware that things might not last.
Witnessing the despair of others, is sobering. Life can throw things on us as human beings. We react, sometimes becoming distraught, out of the fear of facing reality, of a life that has been or is still traumatic; of being left alone and isolated; of rejection; of loss.
It makes me wonder about how fragile we can be, in these moments of immense despair. That we soothe or try to soothe ourselves in different ways, sometimes healthy, sometimes not…. And life will always painstakingly throw things at us.
It made me think of family, friends, colleagues and how over these past years their lives have changed completely. Through severe illness, serious accidents and death. Life!
Life is short. It is simultaneously sobering and sombre, as well as bittersweet.
It feels testing, even to those whom appear strong… There is a lot of uncertainty and not knowing of what may become, what may happen.. and with that comes the anxiety, the fear and dread. It makes me question what strong even means? Life can happen, will happen, to each and everyone of us… For some, when it does, it just becomes too much for them, too hard for them to cope and deal with it and the repercussions are sometimes as painstakingly hard as what happened. Every person has their own tolerance level, their own capacity to deal with lifes thrownness. Every person has their own unique story with life… whether real or what they percieve as real… Whatever it is. It is your truth….
If you are facing difficulty, it is important to remember that you are not alone. Don’t isolate yourself and give up. Seek help, talk with someone. Consider life, as testing and challenging!
