The great things we take for granted are something that some people can never have in their entire life.
So today, I've binged read webtoons again and learned a lot of things. First, I realized that a fixed will determines a fixed future, even those without the ability to see the future, they can predict the future by willing it to come true, that is, creating that future themselves. Thus, the future may not be seen but they can be created by anyone.
Second, I learned that people usually have radically different futures than the ones they currently have now, they usually experience things in the future that they can never have imagined that will happen to them. Even if one has a fixed will, they do not know exactly how the future they created will unfold, so it keeps surprising them.
For example, if I have the fixed will that I will become a king or something similar in the future but I do not know if it will really happen or how it will happen. Maybe I might become corrupted by power and become a tyrant who has no regard for people's choices and lives, forcing them to grow and improve against their will. Perhaps I might become a king who's too consumed by their desires, following the path of self-destruction. I don't want to become someone like that but it always terrifies me knowing what I can do.
Third, I saw the behavior patterns that makes people take the great things they have for granted and underestimating its value. It starts by wanting something, then when they get that something they become happy for days to an entire year. As years and decade pass, they begin to look down on that something and take it for granted. One tends to think that what they have is something extremely easy to obtain, forgetting all the memories where they worked so hard for it and craved it do much before.
At this point, they see that giving some of what they have to others is too bothersome or trivial, they find it impossible to understand why others crave so much what they instantly and effortlessly get. They will say to beggars "get a job", they will say to sad people "just be happy", and they will say to lonely people "just get friends".
This is perfectly understandable, considering how effortlessly they can get those things they want that others can never be able to get even if they were to work hard for their entire life. It is inevitable then, that they would look down on those people that are struggling so hard to get what they have so much in abundance. Although they may say "I worked hard for this" or "I deserved this", their actions say otherwise, as they are unable to understand or even put a single effort in understanding those who have nothing.
After all, how can one who has everything in the world even begin to understand those who have nothing at all? They have lost even their concept of "nothingness". The mighty birds on the sky can never truly see what the ants see below.
For example, I might be someone who has vast wisdom and knowledge, able to see the truth and reality of the situation anytime I want, so I'm always able to remain composed regardless of what happens. I don't have any real "problems" in the sense of the word because I can see the infinite cycles through which everything ends and begins. Thus, if I were to simply spend a few minutes talking to a sad person, their lives would be changed. If I were to give a few words to a struggling soul, they would find a light in the tunnel.
However, it seems that I have taken this ability for granted. I have found even giving a few words of wisdom to anyone too troublesome because of the excuse that even if I give them some help, they would eventually find themselves suffering again. Whenever I see a suffering person, all I can think of is "why can't you just accept reality and move on with it" when these people actually cannot accept reality much less able to see it with their current state of mind.
I seem to think that if people would only think for a moment, then they would find the answers within themselves. This is what I call "learn some skills and get a job" fallacy, which makes the false assumption that humans have enough agency and their environment have enough resources for them to change their life on their own, while completely dismissing genetic and environmental variables outside their control.
The universe is absurd and meaningful at the same time. Through our actions we may create meanings, through the unexpected reactions of the universe we may experience the absurdities. It is especially ridiculous, when you imagine the situations of someone who was born rich the moment they were born, and someone who was struggling for decades their entire life and still cannot afford any luxuries that the average person enjoys. If you're that poor person, how would you feel? If you're that rich person, how would you feel?
I remember my teenage days where I'm simply watching ten thousand animes and playing ten thousand games without a care in the world, without caring about health or productivity. Still, I've always wanted to be a smart and wise person someday. And one day, that wish suddenly came true. There was no internet and I'm tired of playing games on my laptop. I was so bored, so I opened notepad and wrote my thoughts. Then I suddenly realized, I have written like 10 paragraphs worth of interesting ideas.
I was so ecstatic and energetic, that I wrote a lot of notepad articles in my laptop. After a while, I heard about notion and installed it. There, my mind exploded with ideas, my imagination erupted like a ten-thousand year-old volcano, and before I realize it, I was writing 3-4 articles a day, in just a few months, I've written more than 100 articles. From everything I learned writing those articles, I've become an wise healthy person who prioritizes being productive.
After many years, I've switched to writing on simplenotes and took my abilities for granted. I don't see writing as cool or as important as before, so I don't do it as often like I used to. 7 years ago, I could not have imagined that I would become a writer of hundreds of articles, when I only wanted to play a lot of computer games. Now, I don't like gaming anymore; competition, achievements, and entertainment aren't as important to me as before.
This makes me wonder, just what kind of peeson I'll become in the next 7 years? Just like how I learned about writing before, what would I learn next? Maybe I'll unlock the mysteries of speaking and talk to everyone just as how I was able to write everything j thought about when I learned to write.
Ah that reminds me, this is similar to when I was little, when I learned to read English language at the age of 4, I was so happy that I can now read everything, and so I read, read, and kept reading until I took reading for granted. Before that, I learned to ask questions at age of 2, where I asked so many questions until my parents can no longer answer them. Asking, reading, writing, what's next? 2, 4, 16, would I be learning the next life-changing thing at age of 32?
As I wanted to end this article on a positive note instead of a bragging note, I decided to write a random conclusion of no meaning whatsoever except for its lorem ipsum dolor placeholder content. This in turn, begs the question, is it better to have a meaningless trivial life or to have a meaningful life that is scorned by everyone? Personally, I would tell my future children and students to follow their heart fully knowing that some of them might end up in prison while doing that.
But yeah, if I suddenly became rich, I would probably take it for granted too. Once I finished eating some extra large overload pizzas and bought some random stuff, I'll get bored of money and probably return to my ordinary life of doing chores and thinking, except the chores I'll be doing would be something a little more fun than before.
They say that starting from rags to riches is the best way to guarantee that those who become rich or powerful doesn't abuse their power. I don't think so, at best, it would only make their Will stronger, which would equally increase their capacities towards doing both good and bad. If the person chooses insecurity, the world would temporarily become a more hellish place. But if the person chooses empathy, then the world temporarily become a more heavenly place. Hint: it's usually a mix of both. Humans are humans, after all.
"If you want a miracle to happen to you, first try being that miracle to others."
"The world is absurd but don't lose your meaning. Life is meaningful but embrace the occasional absurdity of this world."
"It's not that I can see the future, it's just I'll make it happen no matter what."