Did you know that earth’s population reached 1 billion in 200,000 years? That was in 1804. After that, within 200 years it reached 7 billion. Today, it is approximately 7.6 billion. Most of this population is running towards the basic things: money, success, respect, love, marriage, and kids. That’s more than 7 billion people running towards the same things. Regardless of who achieves more or less, we are all racing towards the only one possible outcome– a black hole of death, never to be seen again.
Soooo, one day, I stopped. I stopped running. I stopped walking with the crowd. I watched everyone pass me by. I thought that if 7 billion people are doing the same task, why not divert one of the earthlings to explore life from a different angle? After all, regardless of how high I climbed the success ladder, I’d meet the same outcome as everyone else. What did I have to lose?
Opting out of this race wasn’t easy. I had to constantly remind myself that I was no longer a competitor. So, what made sense for others was not going to make sense for me. My opinions on any subject were never the popular ones. I had to accept being the awkward kid in the corner at every party. I wasn’t bored, because I was at the center of a million conversations, all in my head.
This simple diversion from the path well-trodden made my outlook on life very different. On so many occasions I wished I could be like everyone else. But just like you can’t erase things once you’ve seen them, it was too late. I just had to stop comparing myself to anyone and keep walking in the opposite direction, albeit looking like a fool. Terrified, excited, and alone, I started working on my first self-assignment– undoing myself.
Beyond the Anxious Mind 