Some Observations

Have you ever felt confident in things turning out well at the end regardless of the obstacles thrown at you on a daily basis? For some odd reason (and I'm not even religious) I always felt that things were going to be alright. Perhaps its this quality that's always prevented me from flying into jealous rages or bouts of depression when things didn't go my way and allowed me to mantain my optimistic (if slightly naive) outlook on life. I've been called naive many times in my life, but for some reason I almost don't mind. At least I don't live my life as a cynical angry person who doesn't give others a chance at the outset. At least I'm brave enought to risk being hurt or disappointed. It almsot reminds me of that Billy Joel song called "Innocent Man." The lyrics go somthing like this:

Some people stay far away from the door
If there's a chance of it opening up
They hear a voice in the hall outside
And hope that it just passes by

Some people live with the fear of a touch
And the anger of having been a fool
They will not listen to anyone
So nobody tells them a lie

I know you're only protecting yourself
I know you're thinking of somebody else
Someone who hurt you
But I'm not above
Making up for the love
You've been denying you could ever feel
I'm not above doing anything
To restore your faith if I can
Some people see through the eyes of the old
Before they ever get a look at the young
I'm only willing to hear you cry
Because I am an innocent man
I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am

Some people say they will never believe
Another promise they hear in the dark
Because they only remember too well
They heard somebody tell them before

Some people sleep all alone every night
Instead of taking a lover to bed
Some people find that it's easier to hate
Than to wait anymore

I know you don't want to hear what I say
I know you're gonna keep turning away
But I've been there and if I can survive
I can keep you alive
I'm not above going through it again
I've not above being cool for a while
If you're cruel to me I'll understand

Some people run from a possible fight
Some people figure they can never win
And although this is a fight I can lose
The accused is an innocent man
I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am
An innocent man

You know you only hurt yourself out of spite
I guess you'd rather be a martyr tonight
That's your decision
But I'm not below
Anybody I know
If there's a chance of resurrecting a love
I'm not above going back to the start
To find out where the heartache began

Some people hope for a miracle cure
Some people just accept the world as it is
But I'm not willing to lay down and die
Because I am an innocent man

I think this song is a very accurate portrayal about life and the the different paths that people take. Some decide that its easier to hide and play it safe than to risk being hurt. They never challenge themselves in any area of life and as a result, became prisoners of their own fears. Although this may seem like an appealing strategy at first, I think its far worse in the end; you stunt your growth as a person by avoiding all the challenges in life. Only by facing our fears head on can we become stronger, more capable, and more worthy human beings. Sometimes I think about how different this world would be if people were brave enough to push aside their fears and act how they truly felt. If not better, it would at least be a much more genuine place to live in.

Conversely, there exists a minority of people who are brave enough to expose their vulnerabilities. Although these people may be hurt much more frequently than those who play it safe, they are the ones who live. For instance, think of a movie or book that inspired and influenced you in the past. What was it about? Didn't the main characters almost always have to overcome some sort of ordeal or challenge before happiness could be attained? Or were their lives blandly normal and uneventful? If we never experienced rejection, pain, or loss, we would never fully appreciate acceptance and happiness. Like the yin and the yang, we need oppositions to ground our conception of reality. Sometimes, as painful as they may be, we need bad experiences to teach us to appreciate the good.