Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Red Pill

There is safety in the herd, for sure. There is societal appreciation, career progression, lineage building, and weekend trips to the spa. But all along I keep on asking myself, (and here I quote J.J. Abrams in his reboot of the Star Trek franchise) "do you feel like you were meant for something better? "

It all boils down to a choice. We choose to regret not having tried something out for the security net of all of the above, and then some. Happiness versus Stability. It's funny how I always seem to find the two mutually exclusive. There is nothing wrong with them co-existing. "Contentment is not always stagnation", I hear myself advising a friend.

But choices must be made. And as has been said earlier, there are no wrong decisions. Or right ones for that matter. There are only choices. And a choice that closes a door always opens a hatch.

I made my choice. I elected to stray. Maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't. And even if it does, that's just passing through the gate: the going thereafter will only get tougher. No matter, it was never about it being easy. It is not important what choice you make, whether the road is long and hard, or whether you don't even succeed. So long as you are doing it for yourself and not what others think of you.

Am I scared? More than I've ever been. The unknown is a cold, terrifying place I've never ventured into. 17 years of continuous education had laid a stable secure life for me. With one decision, I'm plunging it all, myself notwithstanding, into the abyss.

But if not now, then never. Here's to one helluva year.