We live a fragile life.
It takes extraordinary resilience and perseverance
To make it,
To be someone who is heard,
Who is seen,
And applauded.
But what is it that sets us apart?
What are we looking for, who are we trying to be?
And why?
We are desperately searching to be a hero, to stand apart from the crowds-
to be the avant-garde artist creating, exhibiting despite and beyond the rules of society,
to be the professional football player who started out barefoot in some obscure village,
or to be the blind musician with sensibility that moves the observer to tears.
There is a mental struggle,
An inner resolve never to give up,
never to allow obstacles to distract us from the fruit.
Are we trying to be meaningful and useful?
Perhaps
We look to be respected, accepted, in this world of treacherous competition, where we hang on by the tips of our nails,
Perpetually sliding.
Sliding down the slopes of love and empathy.
Inequality is the nature of our reality.
So, deal with it
The tears cry down, flooding entire towns and cities leaving them damaged,
Destruction is all around us as buildings collapse and children lie underneath, caught in the rubble.
Maybe they survive, and work through the darkness of factories, collect garbage for pennies, or train hard hoping to one day be compensated for their football or basketball skills,
All this to pay off family debts,
Debts that are there to get these same kids off the streets in the first place.
So that’s why we fight so hard to make it.
Tears stream down the rolling hills.
The fear of living, of loving so deeply sets in, and then the worry takes over,
The anxiety clouds the spaces of freedom that are sometimes created.
Ok, where to next?
To pockets of independent, detached, thinkers and friends living isolated lives.
Together.
Yet alone.
Are we ever deeply touched?
Are we avoiding reality, ignoring parts of the world that penetrate human suffering, that live and manage to laugh regardless of the pain?
So can we have it all, the depth of the suffering, the drive to make it and to stand out, the connected friendships, love, and the tapestry of intertwined lives?
Can we make it big? Big enough to pay off the debts, to patch up the holes of embarrassment and humiliation that came along the way, especially for those who have close to nothing.
Have we sacrificed softness and love for ambition?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Natasha Devalia 