“I don’t like the idea of ‘going with the flow,’ like water running down a river. It’s like I’m powerless, and just so you remember, water flows from top to bottom. Do you wanna end up being at the bottom?”
The above ‘story’ is something that I’ve heard a lot from people. Not wanting to just go with the flow but wanting to break free to avoid ending up in a lower position. Yet, ever since I first heard this ‘story,’ something felt wrong. After some time, I realized that the story is indeed not 100% accurate. Water simply doesn’t flow from top to bottom; rather, it flows from the beginning to the end.
Saying water flows from top to bottom implies that water changes from ‘good’ by being on top to ‘bad’ by being on the bottom. In reality, though, water is still water. Even on the hygiene end, had it not been for people throwing trash along the way, the water would still be clean. Yes, the color might not be clear anymore and it turns rather brown even naturally. Yet actually, the brown color is caused by the minerals that the water cuts and takes along the way.
Now let’s think about it this way. The water comes out from its source nice and clean, essentially a baby. It starts from a smaller flow and then meets another baby flowing on another flow, turning into one making a bigger flow. The baby gets bigger, now following the twists and turns. While flowing, it faces different soils and minerals. They take some of the soil and minerals on the way as marks and souvenirs. The flora and fauna that they meet at the end of the flow need these soil and minerals for their nutrition. Also, it comes with it, the end of the river. Then what happens next? The water becomes a baby again, not in the river but in the ocean.
Start to finish. Beginning to end. A natural cycle of life.
Not only that there’s a start and finish, but I also believe that everyone (and everything) has its significance in life, whether or not they consciously fight/work for it. I learned this from the character Nakata, a mentally troubled grandpa in the novel “Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami.
Long story short, Nakata murdered a person and ran away from Tokyo where he lives without a clue where to go, except knowing that he needs to go west. He took a local bus to the final stop, then hitchhiked to whoever gives him a ride. Eventually, a trucker gave him a ride, and they went all the way to Takamatsu, 700 km west of Tokyo, where the story is focused on. In Takamatsu, Nakata had no idea what to do, but suddenly he feels the urge to be somewhere somehow. Nakata and the trucker then drove around the city round and round for days, before finally reaching a library, and he realized, “This is it. This is the place.” Nakata came in, met one other character, which marked a moment for this character, then Nakata left and passed away the day after.
In principle, Nakata was just going with the flow. He didn’t even know that he needed to be in Takamatsu, but there he is. He served the eventual purpose of his life, changing the course of the bigger story of the novel, and that’s the end for him.
Going back to the water analogy, I’d say it is okay to let things flow. Go through the process and the cycle that we’re in. In the process of flowing, we will find out what we enjoy doing and what we need to do to survive. Eventually, we will serve the purpose of our life. We may not know when and how, or even what that may be, but the purpose is there, and we will be there eventually.
It’s important to note, though, that letting things flow doesn’t mean that we can lay back and be lazy. Rather, do so well in the flow that we can take more minerals and will be able to feed more fish in the end. If we’re a student, study well so that we can actually gain knowledge and apply it wherever it may be. If you’re a parent, raise the kid so well that the kid may be a president that changes people’s life one day.
What if we feel like we already reach the end? Then start new. Reborn yourself as part of the ocean. When I felt done with all the student activities on campus, I tried many activities outside. Little did I know, I was able to work on broadcasting to eventually make press freedom and its impact a topic of my Master’s thesis research.
I’m not sure how to end this writing just yet, but I wanna end by saying: It’s okay. Even if the world tells you that it isn’t, it’s okay.
Let it flow. See what you find, see where you end up, and eventually, start new. Again.
