This is the beginning of Life Is / Pain
Life Is an exploration on reflection and realization. It is meant to be an observation of other people, and the things that make them whole. I was inspired by the phrase “Life is pain, life is beautiful”.
I asked them about negativity and positivity, and to tell me something negative and something positive. This can mean anything they want it to mean; I had no control in what they could say, and I left it up to them. They could get as personal with me as they wanted, or they could talk about something fairly superficial; I made them as comfortable as they possibly could be. They could say anything.
I had each person write these feelings and experiences down on paper. I then had them tear the paper however they wanted, and read it back to me. Negative first, then positive. This way, they were able to revisit each experience and how it made them feel, and hopefully realize how each one made them who they are and helped them grow.
This is based on the idea that positivity and negativity are both incredibly important in one’s life. No matter how terrible or wonderful life is, it all happens for a reason, and thus helps a person develop. The things we learn and the people we become is because of the things that happen to us and how we learn from them. I wanted those whom I spoke to to really reflect on past experiences, and how they made them feel. I believe that in this light, they would be able to see the importance of those experiences, both the good and the bad.
One cannot live with just positivity or negativity; it’s a package deal. It is the only way we can grow. Life can be painful, tragic, and heartbreaking. It can also be peaceful, euphoric, and full of beauty and love. All of this is extremely important. Life is not one thing or another. Life just is.
Pain is not something you can ignore. That is the point of its existence. If you experience pain, the way to remove it from your life is not to suppress it, to pretend it does not exist. You are meant to feel it and let it make its way through your entire body. Let it infect you, and in the end you will be set free.
One thing I believe is that people don’t often realize what they can learn when they go through a negative experience. I do understand that they are very hard to look past, and be seen for more than what they are, but they give you so much oppurtunity to learn things about yourself and other people.
“I saw the world in black and white instead of the vibrant colours and shades I knew existed.”
- Katie McGarry
“Tonight I can write the saddest lines. I loved her, and she loved me too.”
- Pablo Neruda
Very rarely did people reflect negatively on things that happened when they were children. I found that they were more focused on experiences that they had had pretty recently, and some of them did say that they missed how carefree they felt when they were younger, and had far less to worry about. One girl in particular broke down because she felt that she could not handle the amount that she was having to deal with, and that she didn’t want to grow up. It was very painful to see so many people brought down by the pressures of getting older, and wanting to preserve their childhood as much as possible as a way to stay there.
“The only sadnesses that are dangerous and unhealthy are the ones that we carry around in pubic in order to drown them out with the noise; like diseases that are treated superficially and foolishly, they just withraw and after a short interval break out again all the more terribly; and gather inside us and our life, our life that is unlived, rejected, lost, life that we can die of.”
-Oscar Wilde
-Oscar Wilde
At first, people took it as kind of a joke. I could tell they put up emotional barriers to my questions, and at first they only answered in ways they thought I would want to hear. But eventually, they would get qiuet and look at the ground - it was then I knew I was about to hear the things they had wanted to say from the beginning. They just needed some time. Everyone has those thoughts under the skin.
Throughout this exploration, there were many people I spoke to that were strictly speaking to pain and negativity and found that they could not think of anything positive. This in and of itself is quite negative; while both are important in shaping who you are, you simply cannot have one without the other.
“From the moment we are born, we begin to die.”
- Janne Teller
The negative part of the exploration figuratively killed me. I listened to stories that were anything from sadly humorous to absolutely devastating. It was mystifying to me to learn about some of the things that had happened to the people I interviewed. I was honestly surprised with the incredibly personal level that people reached with me. I did not know many of them, and they were still willing to talk about intimate memories that brought tears to their eyes. Participating in this exploration has taught me not to assume too quickly about others. The characteristics and traits that they present all have a reason behind them, and being able to know these amazingly painful things about people was a gift to me. I knew that speaking about these experiences lifted a small weight off their shoulders, and I feel that they were able to accept the pain of these experiences more easily. And that is the point. I really feel that those I spoke to left with a better understanding of how these experiences have helped them become who they are.
The beginning of Life Is / Beautiful.
Life Is an exploration on reflection and realization. It is meant to be an observation of other people, and the things that make them whole. I was inspired by the phrase “Life is pain, life is beautiful”.
I asked them about negativity and positivity, and to tell me something negative and something positive. This can mean anything they want it to mean; I had no control in what they could say, and I left it up to them. They could get as personal with me as they wanted, or they could talk about something fairly superficial; I made them as comfortable as they possibly could be. They could say anything.
I had each person write these feelings and experiences down on paper. I then had them tear the paper however they wanted, and read it back to me. Negative first, then positive. This way, they were able to revisit each experience and how it made them feel, and hopefully realize how each one made them who they are and helped them grow.
This is based on the idea that positivity and negativity are both incredibly important in one’s life. No matter how terrible or wonderful life is, it all happens for a reason, and thus helps a person develop. The things we learn and the people we become is because of the things that happen to us and how we learn from them. I wanted those whom I spoke to to really reflect on past experiences, and how they made them feel. I believe that in this light, they would be able to see the importance of those experiences, both the good and the bad.
One cannot live with just positivity or negativity; it’s a package deal. It is the only way we can grow. Life can be painful, tragic, and heartbreaking. It can also be peaceful, euphoric, and full of beauty and love. All of this is extremely important. Life is not one thing or another. Life just is.
Life is truly a beautiful thing. The tiniest raindrop on the cheek, to a brilliant sunset over the mountains can evoke a sense of amazement at the ever-growing reaches of life. There is so much life, love, beauty, and vibrance within this world. Open your heart and your eyes, and let positivity into your life. Look at the beauty in the world around you, and reflect on beautiful memories from the past. You should look at life like one watching snow fall. You hear the soft silence around you, and see the earth slowly covered in an innocent, glittery shield, and you know that you have found bliss. Let happiness wrap around you, and in the end you will be set free.
I really enjoyed listening to people discuss their positive experiences. It was as if they hadn’t really thought about it in great detail before, and when they were talking to me I could see their expressions come alive as the details of their experiences came rushing back. I really got to step into their world and go on their adventures with them. I felt the love they had for life, and I think they were able to feel it too.
There were many people that spoke about their friends and family when asked about a positive experience. Times when they were there for them, something they did, or when a close friend helped them out of a hard place or through a hard time. Throughout my life, I have heard so many negative things said by others about their family and friends. So many people do not stop and really think about the things these people have done for us to guide us through life. In this vein, it gave me so much peace to listen to the people I spoke to, and see how they cherish the bonds that they have with those dearest to their hearts
A few did struggle through the positive aspect of this exploration at first. However, once they really began to think on past memories, they started to realize how far they have come. Several people told me that after speaking to me, they walked away feeling more proud of themselves than they ever had. No one should ever feel that they don’t measure up, or that they have nothing to show. As long as you’re hopeful, you should be proud. You should always be proud.
“ Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
- Marcus Aurelius
I loved the positive part of the exploration. I was able to laugh and cry with the people I spoke to, and seeing them crack a smile after remembering something that had affected them in a really wonderful way made me smile too. I heard a wide range of things, but every single person not only told me something, but spoke to how they thought it created the better half of them. It made me incredibly gratified to see that they were aware of the impact it had had on their life. I was also able to share with them some of my positive experiences, and in this way I was also able to participate in the exploration, and reflect on how much I have grown and what got me to this point.
