When I was dating Louise, and we talked about our exes, she told me one of hers was going to be a diplomat, and they broke up because she knew she wasn’t meant to be a diplomat’s wife. I understood. By marrying into certain careers, you marry into those responsibilities as well, and they can be too much for some, me included.
So she was with me. I wasn’t bound for greatness like that.
Still, it made me wonder; what was I meant for? What did she see in me?
I know I wasn't meant to changed the world.
But I still think I was meant to affect the lives of others. I was born for greatness of my own, as small as it may be.
Of course you were meant to change the world.
You were meant to change your world.
You were meant to change the worlds of people around you.
We define ourselves through the way we see reality, our world and everything in it. You have that power to alter people’s lives, to shape them in any way you choose to, should you choose to.
So while we weren’t meant to take on the worlds of our partners, we have the power to reshape them as well, as they have the power to reshape ours. If they mean so much to us at the very least, we might as well ride that power and responsibility. Who knows where it might take us?
I really like your view on this. The way I see it is that I was meant to change the world of a few people, not the world at large. And that small difference is enough for me.
I tried leaving you a comment yesterday, but apparently the SUBMIT button does not function on my iphone Google Reader App.
You do change the world, in your own way, a little at first, but with huge repercussions later. A ripple in a tranquil lake. The words, thoughts, romantic ideals, values that you express on this site have influenced many of your readers. The way you write so candidly and openly about your observations and feelings. You open your heart and it gives people hope, uplifts them.
I’ve seen it more than just a handful of times in which a post you wrote and poured your heart into was met with letters of gratitude for how you had made someone believe in love, feel romance again, feel empathy when she felt so alone before, believe in people, believe in men again…
There is so much you contribute to the Universe by being yourself. And you may never know the measure of your own greatness, but it’s there, and, like the Universe, always expanding.
Thanks, Mae. It always touches me when someone tells me I’ve inspired them to write or take up photography. Maybe I never realized it before, but having this blog is the way I can make a difference. I like the idea that the universe is always expanding from constant ripples of influence; great metaphor!
I agree with Edrei, you change those around you and that falls under the category of greatness. Reading what you write is inspiring and makes me think about things differently. That already helps me become a better person. I kind of wish I knew you better, or that we’d live closer and could hang out more.
Yeah, I think changing those around me is what I meant by greatness of my own (as opposed to changing the “world” for people one doesn’t know, the way a politician or artist could).
It’s always nice to find out that others are able to benefit from the things I say, but these comments are making me realize that it’s more than I had known.
I totally agree that it’d be cool to hang out more. We should have met in high school!