86. A Chance At Real Life

Nothing ever changes. It’s the the same people talking about the same things, over and over again. The same discussions, the same debates, the same images, in endless repetition. Everyone wants to talk about what they know, what they believe, and what they think is right. All you can do is smile and nod.

Whatever is called “new” is not really new for you. It’s just mechanical variations on worn out themes. The new thing exists to satisfy the very same desires that existed the day before. The same solutions are distributed and redistributed without end, and it sometimes feels like no alternatives are even possible.

You’re aware of all of this. You already know where it begins and ends. There’s little energy or life in any of it. It takes you to the same places you’ve seen countless times. At the end of each day, you find yourself exhausted, sapped of all energy from having to exist in this unchanging environment. Sleep is of little help. When you wake up, you return to the same monotonous pattern of images and chatter that you left the night before.

To come alive you need to break out of the repetition. You need something exciting and fresh, something that allows you to see things in a new way. You need to go beyond everything you’re used to. You need something that pushes against whatever is comfortable, normal, and safe. You need it just to have a chance at real life.

What you need is art — radical creations that demonstrate new possibilities, new ways of being and acting. When you are in the presence of such a thing, you know it, because it brings feelings of inspiration and excitement. You suddenly realize there is more to the world than you thought and you feel yourself almost bursting with energy. And with this new energy, this new way of seeing, this rejuvenated life, you might also find that you rediscover hope.