The human brain is a wild composition of neurons. There's always a thought occurring, either in formation or already causing its human to make a decision it believes to be wise enough. It is sometimes typical of the brain to make a decision that seems foolish at the moment, sending you into a spiral of existential crisis, but somehow has you convinced it will bear the sweetest fruits in the future ahead.
When we turn a certain age, there is this rush and excitement that lies within us to explore the unexplored. For some, it's the depths of the deep, dark ocean, and for others, it is the abandoned mall in their hometown. However insignificant one's dreams might be to another, it is always big— the giant bubble of curiosity surrounding the young adult.
There are rules and regulations governing our lives. Gone are the days of freedom with no repercussions. There is a jailer for every one of us, someone who controls our choices indirectly and indefinitely. For most young minds, it is their parents, the ones who keep a check on them to ensure they do not make a decision, leaping off the edge of insanity in the light of spontaneity. When it's with someone you're comfortable enough to cross and are aware that you won't be exiled, you rebel.
You wish to escape; the gruelling days of escaping the womb of a child and being thrown into the unforgiving arms of adulthood are really tough. A fresh slate, new beginnings and a turning point that determines who you grow up into— it is so sweet, the joy it brings.
Let's think of life as a vehicle. You accelerate or slow down the speed as required to maintain balance. At times, when you need to go slow, it is essential to do so. The entire course will still find its time to run, if only you learn what speed limit each stage requires. Sometimes, it is crucial to step on the brakes, even when you do not want to. Do not lead the steering wheel astray, onto roads that harm you more than let you grow. But how do you know which road is the right pick? Truth is— you don't. It is all about uncertainty and finding your poise.
Your wish to revel in these, the golden days of a new, bright and exciting life. Something beyond your wildest dreams, that changes your perspective and colours you in an unknown hue. Some new visitors hand you the key to your new personality. Those are the days when you realise that all along the unexplored you sought was within you. All the answers, laid out in their pure glory, waiting for you to shift shapes and uncover them.
The stepping stones lead you somewhere; it is crucial to go. There is only the wide beyond, no comfort or warmth. Time is time. It takes its sweet time to familiarise you with the bad parts of humanhood. Those who embraced you at first are suddenly strangers or worse, close to enemies and there you lie in the dark, wondering how it went from silver sunshine to onyx overskies.
Helplessness drowns your consciousness. Where is the clarity that had been promised to you at the very beginning? Perhaps it was you promising it to yourself as your unknowing younger self, so engrossed with dreams and hopes and the need to prove yourself to anyone and everyone who hears. Where do you go now? How do you reignite your lost passion?
When we turn a certain age, there is a loss of laughter and a bountiful yearning. For some, it is an undying desperation for redemption, and for others, it is flunking a test. However insignificant one's sadness might be to another, it is always big— the urge to be a child again.
The most common real-life examples of "escapists" as such are migrant workers and students who leave their berths of comfort and homeliness to fly away to a distant land to achieve knowing a world bigger than they've known before. The initial days in these foreign grounds are special and magical. Everything is so different and wonderful. There are so many people to be introduced to and so many places to visit. Opportunities are endless.
According to Theoretical Models of Homesickness, participant migrants began to feel homesickness, ranging from only after departure from their home country to a year after arrival in new environments. Considering the various factors that affect one's social circles and connections with loved ones, it varies. But it is undeniable, sooner or later, we all wish to return home.
Coming home can be bittersweet. The tough task of reconnecting with your roots that you can't seem to escape, yet have come too far from. As Taylor Swift's song "This Love" goes— "When you're young, you just run, but you come back to what you need." You need familiarity, you need a safe space to return to when your heart gets heavy, and your eyes don't dry.
The conundrum of an exciting life in strange lands and the strange phenomenon of wanting to shrink into a teeny-tiny baby again is on your mind again. What wins in the end— the craving to grow longer wings and fly across the oceans, or the urge to once more experience the softness of a comforting shoulder? A choice can be made of rarely being afraid, of taking life as it comes by the reins. In the end, whether you fly away or cosy up in your nest, it is leaps and bounds till you reach infinity.
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