A Rocking Horse

In my life, I seek harmony.

In practice, this is an unpopular perspective. Few people talk about wanting both happiness AND sadness. They selectively invest time in trying to attain the former. No wants relaxation and stress. Peace and conflict. These duopolies, according to many, are one-sided battles.

My belief is that both ends are vital to my well-being. There is no suppressing my demons, rather it makes more sense to befriend them. Yin and Yang.

I am interested in understanding what happens when a power wobbles. What happens when the Chinese government loses power of its citizens? What happens when Facebook loses power over its community? What happens when I mentally bend too far in one direction?

This is the rocking horse. We are all riding it. It is a fundamental part of life; as the seasons change and waves crash, we realize we have certainly been here before. Riding the horse is about being able to feel. If you have ever ridden a real horse, you will get what I am talking about when I say “feel,” it is not in the static physical sense, but more so an ability to attach your presence with another “thing,” in this case a moving animal.

“Feeling” your life is about understanding where you sit on the rocking horse. It is about where you fall on the number line, between -1 and 1, as your views become overly excited you realize you have a rope pulling you the other direction.

The best riders are the best expectation setters. The best optimists have failed more times than anyone. The happiest people have also been the saddest.

This is life. (at least one view of it).


Also published on Medium.