Hello Blogosphere!
This post is going to be kind of short.
I’ve generally been working 12 hours a day and I have a social life on top of
that… so not much time to write, unfortunately! In the midst of all my
activities the past couple of months I’ve kind of become obsessed with people’s
life stories. I listen to story podcasts, I ask everyone around me to tell me
everything about themselves, I’m writing my parents’ memoirs, and I suppose
even writing this blog is part of my obsession!
I’ve always been amazed at how you can pass
by thousands of people on the busy streets of Toronto every day, and not know a
single thing about any of them, when in reality there is a rich life going on
within every single person. I’ve also always loved meeting new people, and I strangely
really enjoy hearing about and empathizing with other people’s problems and
triumphs. This love of life stories is part of the reason I travel; I want to
hear stories from a variety of people, and from exciting people. I suppose I
like to meet people and hear about all they’ve gone through because it gives me
perspective on my own life, whether I am dealing with a good or bad situation,
and helps me make decisions about my future.
Other people’s life stories help me realize
how good I have it even when I think things are tough. On top of making me
realize that I’m not alone, I can see that the people who shared their stories with
me eventually got through their bad times. More importantly, many of these
people remained optimistic throughout. And even more importantly, I have seen
that these people gained strength in their identity and self-assurance because
they overcame difficult situations. Sometimes I am simply amazed at how strong people
are, and how humans are able to overcome some of the crazy things that life
presents: War, poverty, unrequited love, broken friendships, drug addiction, illness, random
devastating losses... all these things and more can consume someone’s life. To
come out of things all right, to move on and to be happy is really an amazing
feat in my eyes. Travelling to different parts of the world increases exposure
to people who have overcome such a variety of adverse situations. For example, I
was really affected by learning about the genocide in Cambodia. I went to
killing fields, prisons, and museums and actually felt sick from seeing artefacts and hearing so many stories of the brutality that people endured.
Moreover, seeing the reverberating effects through the country’s socioeconomic
conditions and national psyche really stuck with me and helped me understand my
interactions with locals. I could not believe how the country has rebuilt
itself even though the genocide was so very recent. It may sound lame to
compare the endurance of a nation in spite of such atrocities against humanity
to my own feeble troubles, but through these stories I have learned that I
shouldn’t let any one situation or circumstance define who I am, and I feel
encouraged that I will get through whatever rough patch I think I’m in. I simultaneously know that whatever I’m going
through won’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of things, as well as will be an
integral part of who I am and how I respond to challenges in the future. In
short, other people’s stories teach me that everything you go through, even the
bad things, molds you and enriches your life.
On a lighter note, other people’s life
stories inspire me to be great. I mentioned that I like to travel
to meet exciting and interesting people. People who take risks and pounce on
any opportunity to grow and push themselves out of their comfort zones really
make me want to do the same. If I learn that someone finished school and got an
amazing job, it makes me work hard to achieve my own career goals. When I hear
about someone embarking on a sailing trip across some islands, I start
developing new bucket list items of a similar quality (I really do have it in
mind to befriend some sailors in Argentina one day and make my way onto a ship
going to Antarctica). I know that if any of these other people can do such
incredible things, so can I! While I know many inspirational people here at
home (my extremely interesting parents, for instance), a lot of times I find
that people around me don’t really understand my need for adventure. Hence, in addition to travelling to experience new cultures, I
travel to seek out those who enjoy spontaneity and new things as much as I do,
so that their experiences influence and embolden me to keep reaching higher.
I strive to have new and interesting
experiences because I enjoy them in the moment, but I also enjoy the
satisfaction of knowing that I’m weaving an intricate story of my own life. I
am a happy person if I can look back and smile at all that I’ve done. So far, I
can. So far, I believe I’m incredibly lucky to have such an amazing life.
In addition to being obsessed with other
people’s life stories, as well as my own, I am kind of obsessed with recording
them. I think it’s important not to forget the meaningful events of a lifetime
(and it’s so easy to forget!), so I’ve started writing things down a lot more.
Isn’t it a beautiful idea to have a record of how unique people are? Maybe
writing down a life story can inspire someone generations from now, or someone
in a distant land. If nothing else, stories about the ups and downs of living
can give you something to chuckle about when you’re older and wiser, and make
you appreciate the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
