“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is the 191st post of my blog. Since I have left only nine more posts to achieve the 200th, I thought maybe this is the perfect opportunity to reflect on my thoughts, which are my philosophy for life. And please look forward to the 200th post that is going to be a special edition to celebrate my blogging journey for the past five years.
For those who don’t know what this blog is about, let me explain a little bit about it. I’ve begun writing this blog back in late 2016. When I began blogging, I didn’t know what to do with it. I was blogging on and off sporadically for the first two or three years. This blog was a place where I can share my photographic works and nothing much.
During those years, I was somewhat stuck in my comfort zone and did not want things to change. I settled down into a way of life that was comfortable and manageable. Yet, somewhere in my heart, I knew that was not the way I should end up with. We, human beings, are all essentially travelers of a long, mysterious and curious journey, called life. We crave for something more and so was I.
Thankfully, due to my occupational flexibility, I was able to try various kinds of jobs. Over the past couple of years, I have been through a career change, struggles and heartbreaks. And so many things have happened – things that changed my perspective, taught me lessons, and forced my passion for technology to grow.
Now that I find myself as a programmer and I love my job. But my occupation is just a part of my journey. This blog, Canvas of Dreams, has been allowing me to take a step back and remember that I am more than my job. I am more than the number on my paycheck.
Friendship, humanity, curiosity, and most importantly kindness. I have enjoyed priceless conversations with my international friends and exchanged our thoughts. And our conversations are usually about the global power struggles, especially the ever-lasting rivalry between two superpowers – the US and China.
In this modern era, where our lives are more interlinked to each other than ever before in human history, we’re witnessing our world driven into the dark clouds gathering on the horizon.
This uncertainty of modern society poses us with unprecedented challenges and makes our lives unpredictable. The unpredictability of life can leave us overwhelmed, anxious, and insecure.
The following are reflections of my thoughts that could empower your life and motivate you to get through this chaotic age. And I’d like to point out the fact that those are just my personal ideas, so I could be wrong. The conclusions you draw from reading it are totally up to you. So, let’s dive into it! Are you ready?
A Citizen of the World
Trump’s America First policy was a big mistake. In this globally interlinked age, it is impossible to imagine a world where a single country thrives while the rest struggle. You can no longer be blind to poverty, gender inequality, violations of basic human rights, and climate change.
We all are the crew of Spaceship Earth. We’re all together here. What is happening on the other side of the earth would eventually in one way or another have an impact on your life.
Let’s step together and make sure no one is left behind. Instead of considering yourself as a citizen of your native country, consider yourself as a citizen of the world. This notion may make you look at the world around you a little differently.
Wallet of Heart
What you can buy with money doesn’t mean much. What really matters is to have something money can’t buy – something priceless. That’s what we call the wallet of heart.
A wallet contains money. The more you use it, the less you have. What the wallet of heart differentiates itself from the actual wallet is the fact that the more you use it, the more you get. The wallet of heart is intangible but has its own spot in our heart. It could be a skill or some experience.
Imagine if you were able to speak Italian as your second language. The more you speak in Italian with native Italian speakers, the better you become. It could be anything. A skill to program software or skill to make pottery. The true message behind it is how meaningless our life could be if we blind ourselves with our thirst for money instead of pursuing what truly matters to us.
Plan B
What if? Yes, life is full of what-ifs. What if an earthquake occurs out of the blue? What if a financial crisis causes rampant inflation? What if Godzilla suddenly rose from the sea and began destroying Tokyo? What if a pandemic strikes? Except for Godzilla, We very much experienced all of which I mentioned. And we’re in the middle of the global pandemic right now, which happens to be our wake-up call – Life is unpredictable. It’s time to think about how important it could be to have a backup plan in our life, also known as ‘plan B’.
And not only on a personal level, even as a nation, we also need a plan B. What if a massive earthquake destroys my country, Japan? And if we couldn’t recover our economy all by ourselves, some of us might have to immigrate out of our country. Where do we go? Considering the geographical proximity, we might flee to our neighboring countries, such as South Korea, China, or Taiwan. Would they embrace Japanese refugees with open arms? I can’t say ‘yes’ straight away considering our government’s failed diplomacy with them. Whatever your country is, cultivating good relations with your neighboring countries should be your governments’ plan B and is crucial for our survival.
Imperfectionism
My life was miraculously imperfect. I even felt guilty that I’m not as good as I should be. So, I occasionally end up fanaticizing about my perfect-life fantasy. A life without procrastination and failure. A life with feats and adventures. A life with a lovely partner and perfect family.
The definition of “perfect” might vary depends on an individual level. But this is not how our life works. Throughout my life as of now, I have spent a miraculously flawed life. My focus has almost always been on what I think it should be instead of what I already had.
What I learned from my past experience is that there’s no such thing as a perfect life. It’s okay to be miraculously imperfect and flawed. I know we still experience disappointments and anxieties, but maybe they are also part of our lives. All we can do is to focus on this present moment, and think it’s already good enough in its own unique way.
Additionally, perfect is the way we are born. Perfect is the way we are now at this present moment. Perfect is unique. We are all perfect just the way we are.
Brutal Pressure
Life is tough. We’re living our lives with the inevitable fact that life has no guarantees. And this ambiguity sometimes plunges us into an abyss of fear.
Our ambiguous life is in a way very brutal. Even though it doesn’t physically threaten us nor fling harsh words at us, we constantly feel an intangible pressure from this unknown uncertainty.
Consequently, we start worrying about things that might not happen to us and are disappointed in things that may not turn out to be as we expected. We’re constantly threatened by this intangible and unknown pressure from this crazy world.
This unknown pressure halts our ambitions and tries so hard to make us behave like everyone else. Eventually, people lose their hope for a better future and stop expecting much from their lives.
Do not succumb to this unknown uncertainty surrounding us everywhere in the world. Don’t lose any hope in this turbulent age. You’re free. This world is maybe made by someone less smart than you. You can change the world if you have the will. Live your own individual life. It’s yours, no one else’s.
Kindness
Our life this past year has been quite challenging. On top of my personal struggles, I’ve been overwhelmed by the weight in the world today – global pandemic, racial injustice, repeated violations of basic human rights, democratic crisis, and climate change.
Living in a world where we face unprecedented levels of existential threats to humanity, we need simple acts of kindness more than ever.
When you have an option to make someone smile, don’t hesitate to do so. No matter what language you speak, believe in the power of words. We, humans, can understand each other through words. That’s what apart us from other types of animals. Languages could be as harmful as a knife and hurt our feelings, at the same time they can connect us, giving us precious opportunities to create friendships despite nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, and race.
And most importantly, I sincerely hope you have many reasons to smile.
Friendship without Borders
Having a hundred friends is not a miracle. A miracle is having a friend who will stand by your side when hundreds have walked away.
And this friend could be someone from overseas. In this globally interlinked age, it’s not impossible to interact with those who have completely different backgrounds than yours. Nationality doesn’t mean much. What really matters is to find someone with whom you can share your growth without any hesitations.
And having a conversation with someone who has different perspectives could give you a glimpse into who you actually are. The priceless interactions with those who have different backgrounds are another way to understand yourself and your perspectives.
Dreams
Before doubt your dreams, dought your doughts. Dreams define who we are and what we are capable of. Your dreams are what can get you through even difficult days. If you fell down, your dreams are your reasons to stand up and keep going forward. Without dreams, we are nothing.
Keep dreaming, keep believing, keep moving towards your promised land.
Lastly…
So, how did you think about my personal philosophies? Do you agree with them? Your thoughts are yours, no one else’s. So I don’t intend to make you believe what I believe in. I could be wrong. But through my writing, I just want you to have a moment to think about our world today. And I couldn’t be more than happier if you talk about what I mentioned above with your family members and friends.
This is my way to make a difference in the world as a citizen of this plant.
Now it’s your turn.
What kind of difference can you make for the world and future generations?
Here are some shots I photographed in September 2011.
