Shaping the World

Today’s entry is a little shorter, a little more abstract, and a little more serious.


     Everybody has something in their life or world they would like to change. Everyone has hopes and regret; everyone has fears and passions. You want to change the world? Look at your hopes and your regret; these will help you form your path. Take control of your fears and your passions; these will move you forward.

     Remember not to let your fear drive. It will destroy you. Don't let your passion run too wild; it will destroy those around you. The very passion that drives you can trample your hope, if it is not well monitored. And trampled hope is the essence of regret.

     It would be so nice, sometimes, if our vision for the future were as clear and solid as the memory of our past. Some have visions that are nearly this clear. We call them visionaries, great men and women. They shape the world, overhaul it to match their vision.

     There are, of course, those who have a vision but fail to alter the world to match it. What is the difference between the two? Is it ability? Opportunity? Is it an internal or external circumstance? Perhaps it's not that simple. No, I don’t think it is.

     The difference between those who shape the world and those who fall short of that is an amalgamation of where they come from, where they choose to go, and the physical and social environments in which they find themselves.

     I suppose those who shape the world recognize where the true differences are between the world and their vision. The ones who fall short imagine the world to be the vision they expect, or imagine it as the hell they fear, instead of the life it is.