The box jellyfish is the pure embodiment of freedom - it wanders aimlessly, it just is. It is aware, yet it has no desires. It lives solely on instinct. Its genetic makeup enables its cells to reproduce indefinitely - if untouched it will float on for eternity, forever going with the flow. Sometimes still, sometimes moving, yet there is no "why", it just is. It doesn't need
anything. It can just be.
I think it's interesting that mankind constantly pushes "progress" as THE solution to our continued survival, yet from a cognitive standpoint jellyfish don't have complex thoughts as humans do. Despite this difference, they will likely outlive humanity without having to learn how to speak, to read, or to be "civilized".
In the same way, I attribute many of the problems we face today to how we overthink things and act according to what we think is right instead of what we really want to do. To me, this is an error in judgement as so many people forsake their dreams in order to pursue something that doesn't align with their passion. For example, many end up taking up medical-school instead of furthering their music career so they can make a lot of money in the future in a steady field. They may end up rich, but at what cost? Years of neglecting your true interests and pulling all-nighters so you can get a fat check? As if money will be the solution to your problems. Or people who put on a mask to try and please others only to find out that the people they tried to please don't truly respect them because they never express their own views openly.
How is it that despite all of the nice things we have we're still so far away from coexisting in peace? I think a lot of it has to do with expectations we place on ourselves and others. Perhaps like the jellyfish, life would be more peaceful if we learned to let go and not focus on so many things. If we just did what our instincts guide us to do we'll be okay? Maybe instead of worrying about what could be, it'd be better to just walk down a path, adapt to current, and ride life's waves as they come. If this is true, then maybe it's not about what path we walk down, but instead how we learn to acclimate to our new surroundings. So even if you don't follow your passion, you can still find happiness so long as you learn to make the best out of your situation.You just have to be.
While thinking about these seemingly insignificant gelatinous blobs, I've come to appreciate their simplistic beauty. They are minimalists, selfless, and free. They are like the water they thrive in. They are pure. They are, and that to me is what it means to be free.
Peace
I think it's interesting that mankind constantly pushes "progress" as THE solution to our continued survival, yet from a cognitive standpoint jellyfish don't have complex thoughts as humans do. Despite this difference, they will likely outlive humanity without having to learn how to speak, to read, or to be "civilized".
In the same way, I attribute many of the problems we face today to how we overthink things and act according to what we think is right instead of what we really want to do. To me, this is an error in judgement as so many people forsake their dreams in order to pursue something that doesn't align with their passion. For example, many end up taking up medical-school instead of furthering their music career so they can make a lot of money in the future in a steady field. They may end up rich, but at what cost? Years of neglecting your true interests and pulling all-nighters so you can get a fat check? As if money will be the solution to your problems. Or people who put on a mask to try and please others only to find out that the people they tried to please don't truly respect them because they never express their own views openly.
How is it that despite all of the nice things we have we're still so far away from coexisting in peace? I think a lot of it has to do with expectations we place on ourselves and others. Perhaps like the jellyfish, life would be more peaceful if we learned to let go and not focus on so many things. If we just did what our instincts guide us to do we'll be okay? Maybe instead of worrying about what could be, it'd be better to just walk down a path, adapt to current, and ride life's waves as they come. If this is true, then maybe it's not about what path we walk down, but instead how we learn to acclimate to our new surroundings. So even if you don't follow your passion, you can still find happiness so long as you learn to make the best out of your situation.You just have to be.
While thinking about these seemingly insignificant gelatinous blobs, I've come to appreciate their simplistic beauty. They are minimalists, selfless, and free. They are like the water they thrive in. They are pure. They are, and that to me is what it means to be free.
Peace
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| Feel free to just be and go with the flow |
What does being free look like to you?
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