For some people there is this overwhelming inability to sit still. I don't just mean physically either. It goes beyond that and crosses into something a lot more existential. I've said before that life is about the journey and happiness may not be a destination. There are those who may feel that something is always missing or wonder what's over the next rise. Happiness for them is a moving target and it might be something they never truly find. In some cases the search for it actually is the basis for their happiness. In life there really is only one real destination and that's death. It's the one thing in our life that will be permanent once we get there. Everything else is relatively fleeting, no matter how long it lasts. With that knowledge one could be driven to constantly search out what's next before the clock runs out. Sitting still is very much like reaching that final destination and in a sense stagnation is death.
I've known people who were forced to stay in one place. To do just one thing. Circumstances made it so that they couldn't move to the next thing. It could be money or family or various obligations that life places upon them. Those people are haunted by thoughts of what could have been or even what should have been, but never was. No matter what happens in life, there is a nagging whisper in the back of the mind that calls to them. There people could have lives that they seemingly should be content with, but it's just not enough. That question of "what if" may always be there. What if they leave? What if they toss everything aside and take the plunge into the unknown? What if they do that, will it make them finally happy? The thing is that thoughts like that aren't always the grass is always greener either. There is a calling that can't be ignored.
I wonder what is the root of that call. Is it just the personality of the person in question that creates a constant journey that will never be completed? Are those people acutely aware of some hidden need that is required before they feel whole? It could be that they simply won't accept anything but what they picture in their head. Everything else is just compromise. We all have responsibilities and obligations. We collect them as we go through life. In a lot of cases they weigh us down and make it so that we have to consider them before making any sort of decision. They aren't always bad things either. Those responsibilities help shape our lives. Having children changes what you can and can't do for the rest of your life. That may mean for at least eighteen years you have to put certain things on hold for their sake. Being in that situation can change what you're willing to accept for the time being. Instead of traveling Europe or becoming a park ranger in Yellowstone, you raise a family. No one should fault a person for doing what's right for their loved ones. However, there are those people who don't have obligations like a family. Instead life has happened in such a way that they don't feel they're in the right place. Now it could be argued that in many cases that's all in their head. Maybe it is, but maybe it's deeper than that. There are people who know that they need to be a parent. Without being one they feel incomplete. For them, that is both the journey and the destination of life. For others it's not so clear.
Koyaanisqatsi means life out of balance. This can happen for any number of reasons. Some people accept it as a fact of life. Nothing will ever be perfect and in knowing this they just go about their daily routine because to fight against it would be an exercise in futility. While waking up, going to work, coming home, watching television, going to bed, and doing it all over again may not be the epitome of happiness, but it's acceptable. The idea is that it could be worse. For those seekers out there that kind of life is like dying in tiny increments. There must be something more, even if that something more is a vague idea of something beyond what already exists. They may bid their time before setting out looking for it. They may take drastic leaps in order to break free of the gravity that has become their life. They may sit in a cubicle for years and stare at a postcard of a beach, doing nothing more than dreaming about their escape, which will never happen. Whatever they do, that sense of wanderlust is embedded deep inside who they are. If they are really fortunate they will one day find that destination that is perfect for them. I suppose if you're happy with where you are, enjoy it. If you're like me and wish that you could get to that state of mind others seem to have already found, keep looking for it because the journey is worth the effort.
