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Are YOU Living a GRAY or RED Life?
Merely Alive or.........FULLY LIVING
Are you Merely ALIVE or Really LIVING?
There are people who are just automatons. They go through the motions of life, not really being fully conscious of what they are doing. They unthinkingly and mindlessly follow their particular script. They get up, attend to their specific duties and/or obligations, and retire after the end of their day. There is very little if no variation in the performance of their script. They are quite proficient in this macabre role. They maintain that life is an endless series of duties and/or obligations with very little joy.
They are of the school that life should be approached seriously. They insist that life is one of onerous endurance and test. They contend that this is what life should be. They are the people who wail that life is hard and that reasonable people realize this and act accordingly. To them, anyone who considers life a joyful experience is either woefully immature or is severely divorced from reality. They contend that life is full of constraints and is very tough, even insurmountable journey.
Others assert that life is one beautiful glorious adventure. They maintain that life is basically what one makes it. They believe that life should be as joyful and exciting as possible. They refuse to adhere to someone's script as to what their life should be. They intend to make their own rules as to what their particular life should be. They believe that life belongs to those who are bold, curious, inventive, and are willing to break old paradigms.
They are fully involved and engaged regarding the life process. They contend that to be fully engaged and involved with life is what makes it fresh and interesting. They see life as the ultimate contact sport, always full of new, evolving opportunities. They maintain that there were no exciting ventures in life, life would be very dull, if not deadening. They intend to never be among those who refuse to see the adventure and newness in life.
Do YOU Lead a................GRAY "Life"?
The Gray "Life"- Going Through The Motions,Doing What One Is EXPECTED & SUPPOSED To Do
There are people who one can classify as the living dead. They merely sleepwalk through life. It is life really? In their purview, they are living. They contend that they are living life the way it should be. They are the ones who readily follow the rules and scripts, mostly preordained by so-called authoritative figures whether parents, society, religious authorities, or a supernatural force.
They maintain that life is not meant to be a joy ride. It is to be approached dutifully and responsibly. After all, they surmise, one has obligations and responsibilities which must be meet. They further argue that there are RULES and one cannot or should not act the way he/she wishes. They contend that people must have rules, even constraints in order to establish control and order, adding that people NEED such things in their lives. In their eyes, they are the ones that are the backbone and unheralded heroes of society. They insist that if it were not for them, society as it stands would dissolve into disorder, even chaos. In their minds, they are the upholders of societal norms and values.
In a related vein regarding responsibilities and obligations, they assert that life is and/or should be an arduous journey, They contend that life is never easy nor should it be. They are of the opinion that hardships and struggle is what life is about. To them, hardship and struggle makes people stronger. In their purview, an easy life is equated to moral decadence, even moral decay and/or dissolution. They furthermore add that an easy life is not a true life. Some may even see a joyful life the exact same way. They maintain that an easy and a joyful life makes people weak and irresponsible. They even venture to state that such things are totally superfluous, even unnecessary distractors as far as life goes.
A Life of PURGATORIAL Comfort & Security
The Gray Life......Seems Heavenly But It Is REALLY Purgatory
Many people lead gray lives because such lives provide them a modicum of a safe, comfort zone. Although they sense that such lives can be monotonous, they feel that they would rather have a stable yet boring life than to have a more exciting yet erratic life. They maintain that a safe life provides a level of psychological certainty and assurance. This certainty and assurance furthermore provides a familiarity to them.
Such people want and yearn for monotony for that is what they are most comfortable with. They view the unfamiliar as unnerving, even psychologically and psychically paralyzing. To them, the most important thing in life is not adventure, excitement, nor growth but a sense of stability even though it is unexciting, even tedious. Again this is in line with their purview that life should be an arduous endeavor instead of a joyous, exciting journey. To them, the idea that life should be exciting, fresh, and ever evolving is an anathema to their particular belief and philosophy. They see such ideas as quite fanciful, even unrealistic in its premise. They are of the school that if people realize life for what it TRULY is, they would be much better off.
There are people who have a passive philosophy towards life. They let life happen to them instead of being the movers and shakers in their particular life. They oftentimes accept things as they are, feeling that they are powerless to change their particular circumstances, life options, and lifestyles. They contend that things are preordained and that most things cannot and/or should not be changed. They believe that things and situations have an order that is not to be questioned nor altered. To them, if anything occurs whether for good or evil, it is supposed to happen and totally beyond their circumstances to prevent it.
They are the ones who contend that one has a particular role and/or station in life and it is best to stay within these set parameters. They are the ones who argue that it is oftentimes impossible, even unrealistic to go beyond one's particular station whether it is sociocultural or socioeconomic. They insist that those who go into such territory will eventually fail as they will be in unfamiliar surroundings. They maintain that goals should always be within their particular paradigm to their benefit. They are very suspicious of anything outside their particular purview and see nothing good in venturing beyond such a purview.
In relation to their philosophy of never venturing into what they consider to be unfamiliar, different, and/or unknown, they have a fear-based consciousness, mindset, and/or psychology. They believe that one is safe and content when one remains within his/her particular circle. They exemplify the adage that curiosity kills the cat. They maintain that people experience anxiety because they dare to venture into unknown and different territory. To them, this is a waste of time and energy. They also view such actions as totally foolhardy. Their motto is to leave well enough alone and not to rock that boat.
They take the concept of being safe to a whole other level. One can aptly state that they take being safe to a toxic level. To them, being safe is the highest state that one should aspire to and be. They maintain that it is far better to be safe even though one may experience a level of ennui than to looking for something that is so-called exciting, different, and out there. They assert that people need consistency to assuage them psychology. They feel that people want and need constant order in their lives. They insist that to continuously and incessantly search for excitement can be mentally unhinging, even unhealthy. So what if their lives are not exciting, they are secure, comfortable, and safe and that is enough for them.
There are those in denial as to how toxic their current lifestyle is. They are not really living life at their optimal potential but are getting by if that. They rationalize that they are living life the way it "supposed" to be. Yes, by other preordained rules and scripts but not theirs. They are merely puppets in their lives. They are not living authentic lives. They do not own their lives but are owned by someone or something else whether it is their parents, other authoritative figures, or by society. Many refuse to see how monotonous and numbing their lives are until it is much too late. They are the ones on their death beds who proclaim that their lives have been so wrong.
Do YOU Lead...................... a Red LIFE?
The Red LIFE.......Going for THAT Gusto!
There are people who are fully engaged in life. Their credo is that life should be lived to its fullest. They are never afraid to take chances and risks as they contend that these components are an integral part of an optimal life. They refuse to be like the majority of people who merely exist, wasting the precious gift of life. They approach life head on, taking that plunge. They furthermore believe that life is not for cowards. To them, life belongs to the bold, dynamic, and those who are participants.
They are the ones who insist on living life on their own terms as long as they do not harm anyone else. To them, rules are for those who are either not brave nor creative enough to create and invent their own particular life brand and/or lifestyle. They furthermore maintain that rules oftentimes interfere with living a fully optimal life. They also see nothing wrong for inventing their own rules as far as life goes. After all, they maintain, rules are only inventions of someone and they do not intend to live their life by other's rules, mantras, and/or dictates.
To them, life is purely an equation of balance. In other words, life is what one makes of it. They maintain that for the many people, life is a long arduous and difficult endeavor because of the latter's negative perception of life. They assert that if people had a more positive attitude and/or mindset, then their life would be accordingly. They see life as a beautiful, even evolving process although there will be unpleasant events and situations but that is not life on a whole. They refuse to let the negative aspects of life color their perception and attitude towards life. They see life as one big cabaret that they intend to enjoy.
What.............a LIFE....................WOW, What a.......RUSH
The Red Life...............Taking THAT Full, JUICY Bite
Those who lead red lives feel that there simply are not enough hours in the day to accomplish what they want. They contend that their days are so rich that such days quickly pass by. They are totally enthralled with their lives. They fully appreciate their lives, viewing it as a precious gift. They also realize that they are on borrowed time so it is best to be fully engaged and involved in life while they can.
Furthermore, they have a passionate approach to life. They embody boldness and daring. They maintain that if one is not daring, then he/she is leading a lukewarm existence which is equivalent to a living death. They see nothing wrong with pushing boundaries if necessary. In fact, they find it exhilarating to always test societal boundaries. They are of the contention that those who are bold and courageous are the ones who sent trends and create history.
They see life as a thrilling, ever evolving adventure. They find it quite perplexing that there are people who are bored with life and find it monotonous. To them, there is no such thing as a monotonous life as it has its myriad nuances, flavors, and intricacies. They maintain that there is always something new and different to discover and savor each day if people elect to be open to the experience. They contend that life is never static, it is always evolving whether people choose to acknowledge it or not. They realize that one must be constantly current or preferably ahead of the curve in order to flourish mentally, psychologically, and even psychically.
In context to their view that life is an adventure, they contend that chances and risks are an integral part of life. They believe that one cannot learn, develop, or grow without taking chances or risks. They exemplify the adage nothing ventured, nothing gained. They argue that taking risks and chances provide very valuable lessons even in so-called failure. They are of the school that failure builds emotional, mental, psychological, and even psychic strength. They indicate that failure is even more instrumental to growth than success. In their purview, success really does not provide any needed lessons but failure teaches one how to do things better or differently. They further feel that the main impediment to success is the morbid fear, even dread of failure. They maintain that one fails, pulls oneself up, and continue yet again.
They feel that playing it safe is akin to being imprisoned, even death. They maintain that playing it safe is really a waste of the gift of life. They assert that life is to fully explore one's horizons, to test, and even go beyond one's limit to really know what he/she is made of. In their view, so many people live at an automatic state, never fully living life at its maximum level. They view playing it safe as inducive to a fear based psychology. They maintain that fear is psychically immobilizing, even paralyzing to the human mindset and consciousness. They believe that in order to be fully alive, one must cast his/her fears aside and go beyond one's particular comfort zone.
They refuse to just merely live, they intend to create and invent their own particular brand. Some even go further to create history. They believe that everyone has a part to play in life but many either are unaware of, do not know how, and/or fearful of creating their specific legacy. They do not intend to lead anonymous lives. They want to live so people will know who they are either on a minor or a very major scale. They contend that part of living is to make a contribution to and to be voice in this world. They are of the school of making a difference so people would not forget them once they are gone.
They are living full, rich authentic lives beyond imagination and compare. Their happiness shows physically, mentally, psychologically, even spiritually. They fully embody what it means to be fully alive and present instead of merely existing. They are living THEIR lives, not subscribing to someone else's script regarding how their live should be lived. They are living at the optimal level. They are extremely passionate about their lives. They actually anticipate each day of their lives, knowing that it will be vastly different each day. They are not afraid of life, instead they embrace each facet and nuance of life,be it negative or positive for they realize that lessons can be learned from both. They refuse to follow mandated paradigms, preferring to create, even invent a new paradigm. They also refuse to be concerned about others' opinions regarding their particular life brand and/or lifestyle. They are their own arbiter as far as their life goes. They OWN their lives and have absolutely no regrets.
Conclusion
There are those who lead gray lives. They are really not living but merely alive in the strictest definition of the world. They see life as quite daunting. They seldom, if ever, see the beauty of life. They view life as a series of uphill battles, rather real or imagined. They also exist in a fear consciousness and mindset. They are afraid to go beyond their particular purview as it would be quite unsettling for them psychologically. They prefer to be safe even though they are miserable. Many times they refuse to admit that they are living a falsehood until it is too late to do any to alter their situation.
Those who lead red lives have exciting lives. They are intensely engaged in their lives. They see life as an unfolding, exciting adventure. They are not afraid to take risks as doing such makes life much more interesting. They can be classified as completely self-actualized people. They live at and use their human potential to the highest possible level. They do not believe in using excuses as to why their life is not working; they take the responsibility to improve their life. They see fear as an immobilizing anathema to their lives. Their lives are really authentic and one can say that they are truly happy people. One either leads a gray or a red life. It is YOUR call.
© 2015 Grace Marguerite Williams