Boi Growing Up

“What’s the point of life if you don’t explore?”

Those were the words directed towards me during a pretty chill video chat last night from my friend Matthew. I paused for a second before I gave a reply. Partly because he came in a bit muffled and I wanted to make sure I heard him correctly. Partly because I realized my answer is really complicated.

It definitely seems our mindsets change as we get older and experience more.

Given 3 or 4 years ago, my answer would’ve been “there is no other point to life.” I was fresh off high school on the high of potentially unlimited freedom and ready to explore the world even more than I had dared to before. In my head, I truly thought there was no other way to live. Go where I wanted, when I wanted, tried everything, regretted nothing good or bad. There were nights I didn’t even come home because I was admiring the night from some random place thinking life is so beautiful.

Then I got older.

I want to say I got wiser. That “experience with age” thing, but that would probably be me saying that the drive to explore went away. I really have seen so much. All made possible by divorced parents not home, a massive allowance, school on the other side of the city, and never having any curfew. I have seen once in a lifetime events, gotten to visit places most city kids dream about, tasted things I never wanna taste again, and lived like I didn’t have a care in the world. Maybe because I didn’t, but I grew up into responsibilities and I quickly thought that having both a stable life and an adventurous one is impossible.

You can’t go to school and work and still have time to drive across the state line just to play with some wild ducks for no reason.

So what would be my answer to the opening question? I would say the point of life then, is to be happy.

No it’s not the same thing, but rather it’s a better focus to define all the different variables of living. Life is made up of so many different components that if you just focus on one, best case scenario is that you miss out on opportunities. Worst case, you end up not moving forward in life because something has too much of your attention. I think the point of life is to take a mix, a nice proportion, a blend of all things and choose how you want to end up. If being an adrenaline junkie is going to make you happy, go find and conquer all the craziest stunts you can find. If having a family and career is what’s going to put a smile on your face, you’ll have to play less and work more to build a foundation for later. If being homeless on the streets is satisfactory, well….honestly do whatever you want bruh hahaha.

I definitely want that family package for myself though.

Maybe Matthew’s inherent want to “explore” is his own way in which he would be happy. He’s younger than me, he has time to mature up. But then who’s to say that isn’t a well thought out purpose of life already. Personally I say, life should always be about an individual’s person pursuit of happiness. ..so long as that happiness doesn’t infringe upon the happiness of someone else.. When you walk out the house. No, before that. When you wake up, be able to say you are doing what you are doing because it will get you to where you will be happy.

BE HAPPY.

Til next time. Stay frosty.