The Courage to Paint...

Every painting, they say, is a collaboration of different strokes. Every once in a while comes along a masterpiece to sweep your breath away. Along the footpaths of your disillusioned life, you find the magic that makes it all worthwhile. Some stop to ponder the effects of great moments on their ever-maturing experiences, yet some choose to walk along the side path for contemplation will only accompany complications.

Have we chosen to fail to dream for fear that the expectations will stifle us in our quest to lead a contented life? Have we chosen to ignore love for fear that heartbreak will only further drown us in the depths of emotional storms? Have we forgotten to smile instead of faking it? Have we forgotten the dreams that occupied our childhoods? Are we betraying our dreamy, ambitious and courageous 5-year-old selves?

If you search your soul, there were always times during our existence that we felt fulfilled. We never saw obstacles, only goals. There were days when it would pour outside, and all you saw was a puddle of water to exhaust your imagination. Never did it occur to you that your mom would probably scream her lungs off or that you’d catch a horrible cold. They were the days of unlimited friends and unforgettable memories. You used to have purpose no matter how mundane the routine. You used to have hope no matter how futile the terrain. What happened to that kid?

In pursuit of our careers and our worldly objectives, we seem to have forgotten who we were. All we want to do these days is get that job, buy that car, find a bigger house, make all that money and live the dream. The day you become rich enough to have a snazzy jacuzzi in your backyard is the same day you realize it is not all what it’s made out to be. You actually ain’t that happy and you ain’t broke either. So what’s missing then?

You! That’s the missing piece of the puzzle! You have forgotten your dreams, because you have adapted to accept that they will never find a home in your modern life. You have chosen to shine your light on the well-lit road of modern materialism. You have left that kid in the dark groping in thin air because it was easier to leave him behind and follow the herd rather than find his path.

You used to love that girl, you used to want to make her the nucleus of your life, you used to want to write her letters, you used to tell her you loved her no matter what she said in return. You used to have courage. Today you lie amongst the rubbles of broken dreams and hope that amongst the scatter of a turbulent lifestyle you find peace. The girls seem to be the ones you pick up at bars on alcohol fuelled nights and they can’t seem to see beyond your expensive shirt. You embrace her as your new trophy and sooner rather than later, you part ways because it just didn’t work out. You’re back to square one, but hey, you’re the player! You’re the pride of the block in an alley of drunks. Who cares, you’re still the man to them. Your principles have compromised to a lower standard without you ever realizing it. But hey, let’s blame the damn female population; they’re the reason why men treat them like dirt. They asked for it! You sure as hell sound like the man! The man in the mirror has a clear conscience and that’s all that matters. Maybe, just maybe, the man found a substitute for courage, his ego.

The girls seem to have forgotten that love wasn’t just another elusive dream, it was reality. Today the lure of the chap’s credit cards, his nice jeans, his won’t-break-down-anytime-soon car and probably-rich-enough-to-your-liking parents seem to occupy your hunt for the man. Maybe it’s growing up, maybe the hippies who write crap like this will never grow up. But have you ever stopped to ponder, just because someone broke your heart, your heart never healed enough to have courage?

The world will always throw a spanner in your works, it will always say you’re too fat or you’ve got no more doors left to open. Trust me, the only person in control of opening doors to opportunities is you! The only person who’ll ever have the courage to stop silently crying and laugh at the top of the world is you! The only person who’ll be able to stand up and be counted is you. You may not be all that, but you’re something! And, I may be wrong, but that’s special enough to feel like you’re king of the world.

Quit thinking of your parents, go up to them an tell them you love them! Quit mailing or sending SMSes to your old friends, visit them! Quit stalling on that vacation, take it! Even if it means going on your own, what do you think is the worst that’s going to happen? You make new friends! How revolting! Quit giving a damn about your chances of a heart attack, eat the damn red meat! Quit hoping that cute chick’s going to walk up to you and ask you out! Ask her out! Quit thinking that boy only wants to be friends when you want more. Ask him to sweep you off your feet. Demand it! Quit taking shit from your boss, he doesn’t have the right to treat you like you don’t exist! Walk out and find a job that puts a smile back on your face. Quit drowning your sorrows, embrace it! For today you earned another painful tattoo in the body art of life. And every time you look down on those markings, you see a better man in the mirror.

Quit having the courage to not have courage. Courage is the only thing that will save that child you seem to have forgotten. Don’t forget your duty, but never neglect the heart, for dreams and aspirations are the sum of inspirations you derive from within you. You need to fly again. They say time flies, but have you ever realised that you are the pilot. Where are you flying?