What's Important

True to the spirit of reflection I have started to question my life. Here is what really matters to me. I have to write all this down so that I can come back to it and read it again in times when things cease to flow. In times when the world seems like a dark hole. When change leads to confusion and I start feeling lost. These are the things that should matter to me. 

Being true to my values and my beliefs. In the face of so many conflicting notions and ideologies that we wade through, I find comfort in my own values and beliefs. In the wake of people who come across as intolerant or unwelcoming just because I may appear to be different to them, I exercise patience and understanding. Celebrate diversity by respecting and embracing differences while remaining true to your own values and beliefs.

The power of dreaming. Once a childlike notion, events of late have proven that dreams do come true. All that is needed is sincerity of intention and the courage to take a leap of faith. And when things continue to look doubtful as you take that leap of faith, trust in the fact that things will take a turn for the better. Dreams do come true no matter how long you work on it. All you need is a persistent and positive attitude. I must come back and remind myself to read this point and hammer it into myself.

Breaking personal barriers. Limitations in the form of fear and stereotypes stop growth. They take you down a dead end and if you've found yourself turning back over and over again, realise that you've come across a personal barrier that is stopping you from advancing. But once you know what that barrier is, all you have to do is break it down, though it might be hard.

Family. The people who matter most to me in my life. Those whom I should not take for granted. Those who fill my life with meaning and act as my daily mentors in the little things before the big things. Those who influence and those who listen. My family and the people who really do matter whom we call friends.

Happy memories. They take you through to another place and another time. They remind you of who you are and what you like. They shape you. Memories can teach you how to move on when you've forgotten why you're here.

Every day is an opportunity and it passes bringing us closer to an even greater opportunity. Context is important and attitude defines how we move from one opportunity to the next, from one day to the next. And they make up our lives.

Blending in

Sometimes I wonder what the term "assimilate" really means. Does it refer to something new - having just arrived on the scene - standing out, like a shade of yellow in a sea of blue. Algae and other natural organisms take over, orienting it, exploring it, almost cajoling it until it turns it in a subtle tinge of green that blends in perfectly into the blues. Does it refer to letting go of your convictions to fit into the norm. Does it mean toning down your voice so that you are part of the common crowd. Can a balance be struck between who you really are and fitting in.

Sometimes I find that fitting means letting go - even if it is temporarily. Sometimes I am let down by humanity's inability to see past superficial differences. Deep down we are all the same. Why invent such a word - assimilate. Integrate. Become a part of. Become absorbed into. The word brings with it unpleasant connotations. I envision a person struggling hard to become recognised, only to find that the most painless means of achieving this is to forego much of what makes up part of that person. It brings connotations of alienation and subordination by being less complete than one truly is. Hiding, masking or letting go of personality traits and more so ways of life that would otherwise seem unimaginable. It mostly happens to immigrants, refugees, those forced to dwell in a life that they did not choose themselves and even those who for the sake of transcending boundaries, assimilate to build bridges of understanding.

It seems that acceptance is the ulterior motive behind assimilation. What is the alternative then. Stick to one's guns and gracefully allow others to accept you instead - assimilation or no assimilation. A lonely battle that may be worth fighting. It all depends on that which you have to choose to forgo. Is that worth fighting to keep. In most cases, yes. No one should have to let go of an important piece of their history or their form just to be accepted. The capricious nature of people and society is a certainty. Acceptance today may be the old fashion of tomorrow. Sooner or later, the algae will tire of provoking a tinge of a complete green. What you will find is a new shade emerging. A direction of acceptance gone the other way. Playing a game with assimilation so that instead of conforming and succumbing to the "norm", it becomes the acceptance of the new as is. Learning from the other and in the process creating a new word - diversity - the true meaning of the notion of blending in.