Glacier National Park (Source: National Park Foundation)
“Does everyone feel this clueless about where life is supposed to go?”
“Am I the only one that feels this anxious about the thought of living a purposeless life?”
“Is there anyone out there that feels more lost than I do?”
These questions constantly bombard us as we navigate the labyrinth of our existence. And the more we ask them, the more we obsess over finding the answers.
However, the answers to these questions do not come in the form of one-page summaries sent by the deity of your choice. They are much too complex to be answered in one sitting, so the questions end up becoming rhetorical.
Rhetorical questions are not inquiries. Inquiries, by definition, are designed to have answers. Instead, they become thoughts that roam around with no sense of closure. Think of them as baseballs with no glove to catch them, bouncing around aimlessly in the cavity of your mind.
And with each bounce off your cerebral wall, an echo resonates around that thought, making it even larger.
Unfortunately, many of the thoughts that rattle in our heads reside in an echo chamber of self-doubt. They latch on to an emotion that weighs heavily on us, and one easy target is the feeling of hopeless uncertainty.
Cyclical and deeply repetitive thoughts are generally negative in nature. They tend to repeat themselves because they morph into questions that no longer desire answers. These types of thoughts also tend to grow faster the more we operate within a routine-driven life.
Undoubtedly, there are many routines that allow for richer experiences and more fulfilling lives (many of them are outlined here on Medium). However, many of us are embroiled in routines that can be numbing due to their sheer frequency or meaninglessness.
We work jobs that don’t challenge us. We eat the same lunch special everyday to sustain us. We drink every Saturday to stimulate us.
These routines and habits only strengthen the frequency of our cyclical thoughts and further our feelings of resignation.
Furthermore, most of our routines are also structured by man-made inventions. Human beings created corporate culture and the rules that govern it. Humans created the cars we drive in everyday to get from one place to another. We developed the cities and homes that we spend over 95% of our lives in.
It becomes easy to feel lost and purposeless when we are enveloped by the constant sounds of routine, man-made noise.
If our inner spirits are drowned out by manufactured doubts, we must look outward for an experience that reminds us of the beauty and peace that surrounds us.
Something devoid of human interference.
The one thing that existed long before we did. The very fabric of our entire planet.