Getting along with people

What are your biggest challenges?

One of the nightmares polluting my resting hours is that of being bed-ridden and unable to move.

I guess this is a common theme for most of us.

Somewhere the unconscious mind builds a narrative whereby our lack of objective agency in our own fate becomes a subconscious presence or at least iteration.

In short, we become the prisoners of our own self-defeating dungeon.

This is exactly my case.

As a 45-year old man, I realize that my biggest defect is knowing that I have little impact on almost anything and yet still being very, very mad about it.

This is my biggest nightmare – the one true challenge that threatens not only my nighttime sleep. It causes me distress during my waking hours as well.

This prevents me from really getting along with people. Because on some level, I dare not explore this further, I believe I resent the world for being so fine with its own shortcomings.

I resent the world a lot. And this causes me anger.

It also causes me to be perceived as a weirdo, a big-mouth, a rabid dog whose company one must avoid if one is to retain one’s sanity.

And the tragedy is that I know this to be true myself.

You see, the reason I still have my dear old friends is unmistakably simple and straightforward.

We live 9,000 km apart and that makes us quite inseparable.

For it is difficult to become a bore, a rake, or a drag if you only frequent one another a few times every couple of years, in person.

The best decision I ever made was leaving the old world behind in the mirror and moving to this winter of my discontent, and making a new life for me and my family.

I thus single-handedly saved my friends the hard choice of dropping me as a friend while making sure I remained close, yet remote enough, in their affections.

In life, one must be clear about one’s challenges.

And if one is to make it through, one must embrace one’s shortcomings or change.

The choice has always been clear.

Happy New Year, folks!

I hope we all live long and prosper!

PS Sometimes we must carry our cross. Other times, we must endeavour to turn the tables of history.

Like this, eh