Times Of Swaziland: NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU

NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU
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Editor on 26/11/2024 07:49:00


Sir,
I would like to begin with a reality that may not be pleasant to hear which is,
‘nobody is coming to save you’. Not your friends, not your family, not
society, not the government; no one. The responsibility to do something with
your life and to deal with the hardships inherented in existence, rests on your
shoulders alone. The first step in recognising that no one is coming to save you
is to understand deeply that the responsibility of your life, every bit of it,
lies squarely on your shoulders. It is you who must face each day and decide
what to do with it, while living with the consequences of those choices.
Demands
Fully accepting this can be frightening, especially because it demands that we
abandon the comfortable notion that someone else will step in when things go
wrong. You have to let go of the idea that someone will fix your problems and
protect you from what is painful. The fundamental truth is that everyone has
challenges and moments of isolation. While most people decide to stay trapped in
their calamities others climb out. Taking responsibility for your life is not
just a mental exercise that you say once and have it magically rooted in your
life. Instead, it is a living, breathing commitment that unfolds every day. It
is an ongoing realisation that your choices shape your life and understanding
that when you take action or don’t take action, you will reap the benefits or
suffer the costs.
Blaming
Blaming others and seeking external reasons for why life is hard is always easy.
‘The system is unfair’ ‘my family is holding me back’ ‘and the world
is against me’. These can all feel like comforting explanations. However,
while they may sometimes contain elements of truth, they do not change the fact
that regardless of circumstances, your life is still your responsibility. No
matter what others have done or how things may seem stacked against you, you are
the one who has to ultimately rise up and push forward. When you take full
responsibility of your life, you stop being a victim of your circumstance.
Releasing the  belief that someone holds the keys to your success and happiness,
you free yourself from the sense of helplessness that so often plagues people.
Each and every one of us, as the youth, has the power to grow and reshape the
world. Our individualistic goals make us distinct. You don’t have to worry
about someone stealing your dream because it is yours alone. One thing that has
always struck me, is why there are only a few eagles in the sky. This was until
I discovered that the life cycle of the eagle is daunting. In a certain season
it has to isolate itself in a cave, it then has to pluck out every feather from
its wings using its beak to give space for new ones to emerge.
Process
As if that is not enough, the eagle then has to smash its beak on solid rock
until it shatters, to give way for a new one. This process is painful, lonely
and bloody. Most eagles don’t make it out alive, that is why there’s only a
few eagles in the sky. The same applies to our lives, we must take
responsibility of our lives. As the primary authors of our lives, it is
important to know that we are the sum total of all the decisions we make every
day. A person who wakes up and decides to fix cars is a mechanic, one who
decides to go to school every day is a student and someone who decides to buy a
few bottles every day is an alcoholic.
Siyandasive Zwane