This Is for That Dreamer, in That Class That Is Underachieving
*NOTE: The author of this piece wishes to remain anonymous.
Illustration by Buthainah (@arttfagg).
I won’t lie, life is rarely on your side. But that’s how it is, isn’t it? That’s how it operates, relentless and unbothered of whatever outcome that is given to you; good or bad.
I can write all the silly, corny things that were popular Tumblr posts in 2014 of ‘lift your head up, your crown is falling’ and call it a day and make a few people who like these silly, corny things happy.
However, I don’t want people to relate to this piece of writing, I want their souls to be soothed by comfort or burned with desire (or to be quite honest, actually finish reading it. Lol.)
So, what is this? I’m not sure, a rant or a list? I am an anti-structural person not because I’m ‘cool’ (I am incredibly cool out of this context, like a cube of ice), or I’m a ‘rebel’ (Debatable, tbh), but because I don’t think there should be any proper formatting for these things. It’s thoughts, when are they ever organized and categorized? (Hint: never).
Many dreamers crash and burn and end up settling for a 9-5 job, just because it’s stable and comfortable, which is a fact (to me, not scientifically).
And everybody is afraid of being in that cycle so much that they do end up more often than not in said cycle. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s not very good either. I’m not going to be typing out for you to read about how parents are pushing their ideologies onto us and living their dreams through us, because everyone pretty much knows that, and most deal with it.
Which is why, our generation, Gen Z, specifically, is considered to have a very nihilistic (adj. a person who believes that life is meaningless and nothing you’ll do matters) point of view on life.
I see that, and I see the bitterness from it, but here’s how it goes. You either;
Wallow in your little shell of self-realization that whatever you do won’t matter and you’re a small speck of stardust (I know, I tried to hold back on the Tumblr quotes) and just live with mental and physical glitches, thinking you know everything and nothing will satisfy you, till you’re a wrinkled raisin.
Or, you can just go ahead and make something of yourself. By you, for you, and to you. All that love in your heart, pour it into yourself and your passion and your craft. Why stop doing something because of a pessimistic worldview point? Might as well enjoy life, if you think it is so pointless.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m bitter. However, you have to ask yourself at the end of the day, pushing aside all of the other factors that could fog up your vision, and say; Am I going to wait till I miraculously feel happy, or am I going to be happy because I think it’s a good day to be bloody happy?
Growth is an uncomfortable process, and pain is a necessary investment for progress, and I wish I knew that sooner so I could breathe more comfortably. (Poetic stuff, right? I’m trying the whole descriptive thing. Lmfao.)
Side Note – Plenty of people always say;
A: ‘I don’t have any passions or talents.’
(This infuriates me to no end, but the people who reply to that by saying,)
B: ‘You do, you just haven’t found it.’
(Infuriate me even more.)
Like give it a break. They might genuinely have no passions or talents, but this is the thing, everyone has hustle. And everyone forgets about hustle. Because once you start hustling, it’s a domino effect of thriving and growing. Doors open up to you, and you’ll have the opportunities to see and do.
[Hustle beats talent, when talent doesn’t hustle.] – I wish I made that up, but I didn’t, yet I stand and live by that line.
So, this is my pointless survival list that nobody cared nor asked for:
Illustration by Buthainah (@arttfagg).
Make lists. It honestly keeps you busy. (E.g. playlists; could go into sub-categories of different vibes, grocery is always a good one, pick-up lines, code names to people you like and hate, fruit that could kill you if you eat too much of it, or how many times you won at Mario Kart.)
Be unapologetically authentic and make that your evolution. (Look at SpongeBob, how old is that dude?)
Have a catchphrase. (a. why not, it’s funny, b. look at SpongeBob, c. point proven.)
Stop giving CPR to dead situations. AKA. Stop overthinking things that are not worth your energy. (tbh, I’m still working on it. It’s hard, but I’ll get the hang of it.)
Yelling, and I emphasize on yelling, to rap music because it is spiritual and a so-very-much holistic remedy that makes me feel like a gangsta. (Why not?)
Always ask this question when you are unsure if you should do something: Why not? (As long as the answer isn’t instant death, do it. It makes fun memories, or in some cases, traumatic ones. Like the time I was playing Call of Duty on my phone in the middle of my British Literature class and got caught by the teacher who ended up asking me what it was and proceeded to walk away. Am I on her blacklist? Who knows, but both options make good stories.)
Do a yays and nays list. (Positive and negative; but like I said earlier, I’m cool as ice.) If the bad outweighs the good, then do the list again until you get a yay that you are content with. If not, ditch the whole list.
Your crown may tilt, but it’ll never fall–I had to end it on a Tumblr 2014 post. My bad. ◆