The QCWE Entry

Life without strife is the most surreal kind of wildlife. So, all of us must become the heroes in the meadows, the ones who shake the supposed structure of life until we gradually embody the wild nature of it ourselves.

It is tempting and human to believe that the weight of our surroundings is what shapes us entirely. The people, the conditions, and the constant stream of input we consume do affect us, but we are accountable to ourselves, for the health and overall development we manage across the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of our lives.

Is strength only about being an impenetrable volcanic structure? It could still explode from within.

At the heart of it, our minds aim to find meaning above all else. They store everything from to conversations to quarrels even if we don’t consciously acknowledge them. However, discarding what is not necessary is a skill worth learning. We can choose what to retain and what to release. We can sense the fine line that separates what burdens us from what can someday support us. I could be wired to observe and process deeply. You might not have sat long enough in discomfort to know how inner fire works. Facing hopelessness or restlessness comes out as just placing blame, especially when being open is misused. Try to be a lava that is focussed, intense, and purposeful, though this could be mislabeled as unpleasant or unrealistic. It’s in our hands to avoid the guilt and shame attached to it. We need to re-own that power of ours.  Trial and error is part of that process because this isn’t proof of failure but nature of growth.

Imagine being a real example yourself, someone so authentic that those growing up around you couldn’t find a better example than what they witness in everyday life. Parenting that leads by example speaks to lived experience, and soft strength. It’s a style that calmly trusts the child’s awareness and growth. It’s rarely obvious to a third person, but it carves the child’s ability to read the world, adapt, and endure. It carries a lasting, perennial effect on future generations. The dilemma lies in determining whether it is active or passive. Sometimes the “roles” played are interchangeable and it’s hard for the child to unsee their parent in a certain way. It’s not ideal in the conventional sense, and it’s absolutely exhausting. It all depends on the child. Some respond well to that kind of space and independence, and it works for them in an organic way. It teaches resilience, realism, and emotional intelligence in ways that easy, sheltered upbringings rarely do.

Fitting in turns out to be barely befitting. Everybody is their own individual, but we inspire and influence environments and people, especially youngsters. In the midst of aiming for monetary stability, what if that stability becomes more about supremacy? This leads to uncontrolled exposure to the good, the bad, and the ugly. What opportunity costs are we incurring? Deep involvement in this flawlessly flawed social media, which pulls in all kinds of minds, especially young ones, triggers anxiety, self-scrutiny, jealousy, and intensely unhealthy thoughts buried deep in the heart and mind. When these destructive thought spaces seep into the very mediums we are, we forget ourselves. A chain reaction, fully in motion.

In team settings, there can be last-minute or no-input “collaborations”. Most won’t stand up for you when you seek accountability. Most don't care about resolution and think for their own selves. In personal life, people come to you, hang around with you, and the very next day or a few days later, they jump elsewhere. Fortunately, you are taught the philosophy of connections and friendships.

One day, the sudden rise in volume and the energy in the room made it harder to stay centered. It’s “funny” or curtails sensible Q&A session to something laughable. Applause distorts. Meanwhile my team forgot an important sight of Part B. I let him go first, and then clarified. Later, I checked the definition. Indeed it means 'it may or may not be resolved’. The question is why can’t there be mutual respect at least when it’s most needed? And more importantly, where were the ears you should have had, the dictionary you were expected to carry, and what about getting interrupted halfway through something important? The environment offers a temporary escape instead of resolution. A similar incident occurred when a teacher asked about the need for certain presented information. The very team member immediately said, “That’s what, right?” and laughter followed. Then the teacher asked “Isn’t it everyone’s responsibility?

People can squander chances to grow more than once. It doesn’t warrant punishment but there is a difference between patience and self-abandonment. Everyone has their own “style” of dealing with situations. When it doesn’t align with the expected template, individuals can get labelled as antisocial and be made to feel secluded as a ‘joke’ as if they were ganged up on by the very same others who exercise blatant inaction. At the very least, they won’t be appreciated. This causes emotional scars beyond visibility. If relationships aren’t reciprocal even when you were open and patient enough to work it out, it’s important to recognize your own worth.