Why Your Life Should Never Become A Game Of Connect The Dots
Something that has always dumbfounded me is our ability and persistence to fabricate connections where there are none, or better put, our human tendency to impose logic upon things that are illogical.
I often witness people attempt to make sense of their experiences. And constantly I am amused by the connections said to be between, and patterns found in, things that often have neither.
I am in no way wild, though I’m far enough from the median to appear exotic. This is a statement of mentality, and I only feel comfortable saying it because of my inability to think and act in a compatible way with most people.
What do I mean? While the majority of people I encounter suffer a mental sweat from searching for a method to the madness of life, I prefer the madness. Where do you stand?
Spontaneity and randomness have always been the strongest motivators for those I respect most and myself. I’d find no point to living if I knew exactly what to expect. Even when I have a solid plan, my excitement (whether positive or negative) comes from the unknown possibilities of what could happen along the way – and in those occurrences there seldom is rhyme or reason.
As much as I do have a “connect-the-dots” mentality, I constantly push myself to recognize when there is no picture to be drawn. I push myself to understand and appreciate when the dots are just dots, independent of each other and to be appreciated for what they are, as they are.
Too often in our lives we fail to fully appreciate and internalize one experience due to our tendency to try to connect it with another.
The least happy people I’ve met are those who are constantly trying to connect the dots, whether that be with relationships, careers, or any experience. Why? Because by always trying to make such connections, as though life is one huge conspiracy theory, a person grows tired. And soon, he or she will only seek experiences that he or she already knows the meaning of – the familiar.
The most rewarding experiences of my life have been spontaneous events -- some had meaning, some were meaningless. Many experiences I’ve shared with others, and an equal amount of those are too personal to share.
However, only by embracing with enthusiasm the vulnerability of life was I able to experience any of them.
