Words with a Sailor

In the spirit of loving and open discussion, and a continuation of my last blog, I just wanted to re-post a conversation I had with a friend on facebook.  He is a dear and trusted friend, and I hope our words together encourage or just pin point something you may be struggling with. :)

 

 

 

how's the crew treatin ya?

your on the Manitou right? (sp??)

Yeah

I dont know

its a really wierd situation

what's going on?

I just have come to realize how much i dislike the world, attitude and midset of tall ships/people who work on them. And after this summer at camp, nothing can ever quite be as good. (that i know of so far)

but

I think the thing I learned most at camp was that my whole life I have taken myself too seriously. far too seriously. after realizing that, everything has just become much simpler.

I am dealing with the tall ship stuff because it is a job for the moment, and I know I will be moving on to bigger and better things soon

haha glen, I think that's a great realization to come to!

But I just struggle with zero good people around

but it can't be easy being around people who may not understand the change, or even your mindset

I'm so there I love my family, but they are in no way good for me...

Family is even more difficult. I do not have a situation like yours, but my mom is so set in her ways; in how she lives her life, thinks about life, thinks I should be etc.., for the first time I am starting to notice that. I know for the first time that I cannot and should not be at home

Family, co-workers. So many people just need to relax. It is so cliche but "live and let live". People will be different. Accept it and move on!

I have a new philosophy on life also.

yes!! let's hear it

well

not a new philosophy per-sey, but a new way to think about things.

I think that we have problems in our country because of the idea people have that they are special. Everyone is told growing up that they are special, unique, beautiful in their own way. I think this is partially true but I have come to a point where I have met SO many people our age who think this way, but have done nothing to earn it. Especially those on tall ships.

The tall ship attitude is "look at how badass and cool I am" but really, who cares. Sometimes I just want to yell at people YOU THINK YOU ARE SPECIAL OR DESERVE SOMETHING, PROVE IT!

And to really prove it to me, all it takes is for someone to simply be simply real. Shrug off all the bullshit that we build up, look around and just live life!

hahah totally! I think there's a lot to do with humility in this too

yeah for sure. realizing what you are, that you are not perfect, or special, realizing your strengths and weakenesses

To be able to step back and say, sure I've been gifted in one way or another, or I may be good at something, but it's not about what sets us apart, it's about what connects us that should really matter!

haha so I started a blog recently, lol, and this was the topic I was writing about just last night!

Thats awesome. I totally agree

how we spend our asolescent years trying to define ourselves as individuals, when really we only truly know who we are when we lose ourselves to something bigger, like Christ, to become not just one person, but a person who finds meaning within a community, within relationships, not some heroic journey of lonely self discovery

It's the minute we realize that its's okay to be apart of something, that we arent lost when we share life, weakness and even have the same strengths as others, instead, it makes us stronger, more at peace, knowing we don't hae to try to stand out, we don't have to better in anyway, we just have to live together