By: Franz Anthony Anotado
What if we’ve been looking at life’s miseries and our share of suffering incorrectly? What if amid all the chaos and despair, emerges clarity beyond our comprehension? To say that there is beauty in each broken aspect of us humans is simply an understatement. For we are nothing but mortals without purpose, destined to hit rock bottom.
Unbeknown to us, doors opening towards the path to a new beginning come in times where we least expect it. Rock bottom for me was leaving everything else behind, and that included the life I had.
Feeling rotten and slowly decaying in an environment filled with uncertainty, I found comfort living in an ashtray. An environment filled with burnt opportunities and decomposed chances.
Afraid to take that leap of faith towards change, a fresh start left me with second thoughts about moving out for college and living alone in an unfamiliar environment—doubting the possibilities offered by a new life far away. What could I expect? I was used to the unjust system ruled by incompetence and unworthy people who made me doubt what I was capable of.
Needless to say, we all eventually have to climb out of our respective godforsaken places. That’s when the realization will hit that these challenges are simply meant to test us for the greater things that await. Comfort zones serve as an illusion to stop us from realizing the fact that we are meant for more. As we open our eyes and slowly regain touch with reality, we should rethink the concept of ignoring the ashtray we’re unconsciously living in.
Open yourself to rethink the concept of life’s rock bottoms as something worth looking forward to. It should be called the lowest stepping stone for bigger things. Consider the burnt opportunities and decomposed chances as merely fragments of ordeals waiting to be conquered.
As rebirth and beauty can be found in the most unexpected times and places introducing us to a sense of renewal, each end of an era comes with new beginnings and second chances. Afterall, clarity is only found after confusion, order is the aftermath of chaos, and flowers can grow in debris of ashes.
