By J. T Tench
“When you have lived with prophecy for so long, the moment of revelation comes as a shock” – from Frank Herbert’s “Dune”. In this week’s issue of Don’t Forget To Be Awesome: we examine short-sightedness and being burnt out – oh, and forgive the hiatus, dear readers.
The things we want often seem so far away. As young people, we have more of a life to live than a life that has been lived. Our wants seem unreachable and almost impossible. We were taught in school to invest, through sacrifice and hard work, for the things we want. The formula was simple then. One of the many lessons school allowed life to teach us was that the wait (and ensuing anxiety) of waiting for our goals is the most painful thing ever.
In my own life, my goals would appear almost impossible to attain. And yes, the investment is there, but so is uncertainty. While browsing through the assortment of books and writings I have stored all over my workspace, I came across: “ worrying today does not take away tomorrow’s troubles; it takes away today’s peace”. It then struck me: we are often sick from drinking our mind’s poison. In most cases, we know our hard work and sacrifice will benefit us in the future.
The irony in the quote from Dune is that prophecy is a glimpse into the future. Yet, even with the knowledge of the entire universe at our fingertips, we are surprised. And so, anxiety is tethered to the human condition. But, calm the consciousness and remember that, no matter how long or short, hard work pays off. Believe in the small empire you’re building for yourself and Don’t Forget To Be Awesome.
