Sonder

What is important to you in life? Was it the same thing 5 years ago, 5 months ago, 5 days ago, 5 minutes ago when you saw this question. What about tomorrow, who’s asking you might say. The answers to many of life’s questions are rarely enough and one might argue that such is life- the pursuit of answers. We all have at least a general idea of how we would measure happiness if we found it, we assume it’s a state where all of our current problems are in the distant past and we’ve finally gotten to ‘live’.

This is certainly a logical way of looking at things however our path there is not always as simple as checking off items on a list. We find ourselves alone even in the middle of friends and ironically at home with strangers more often than we might care to count. The noise we desperately run away from always seems to beckon us, like a moth to a bulb. We label ourselves as social beings yet intrinsically believe no one really understands us. Because we’re too complicated and unworthy and just better off left alone.

Obscurity is hardly a destination as it requires us to view ourselves purely from our own perspective, we fail to see that as we view others as ‘extras’ in our story we play this role a million times more in the lives of others. Sonder describes this realization of the intricacies of everyone else outside of yourself. That each of us is just as complex and detailed as the next person.

We are all chasing mirrors and shadows every day of our lives and the least form of expression is ultimately our opinion of others- it requires no accountability and is usually a projection of our own beliefs.

A life of ‘happiness’- whatever that means for you, starts with the person in the mirror- who are you and what is important to you. This may take some time to find out, even a lifetime but every step along the way to true self-discovery is one step away from compromising your true identity