Dear six year old

Dear six year old, As I look into your eyes, I see it’s hard to be you. I see the weight of the world on your shoulders. As life’s pages turn, you’ll confront worse. You’ll see all the unhealthy ways of expressing emotions. They’ll yell at you, leaving you in an abyss of confusion, Making you think anger is awful. Tears may flow, but they’ll dry your soul, For they say, “Men don’t cry”, Guiding you to the notion “crying is a bad idea”

When you step beyond those towering walls, they’ll laugh at you, much like they do to all. They’ll deride your choices, your temperament, and even your appearance. You’ll think you aren’t good enough. When you live up to the aspects they project onto you, you’ll start wearing a facade.

You’ll feel responsible for upholding your new identity of the “golden child” In the lack of a chance to embrace your humanity, you’ll freeze. Overwhelmed, you’ll stop being you. In the shadow of perfection’s light, you’ll forget who you are. You’ll start going with the flow, the centuries-old directionless “inertia” Until you hit the rock bottom. Until you feel empty inside. Until you lose you.

I want you to hang in, Keep doing what you’re doing. Sniff that hibiscus. Devour that guava. Get your feet wet in that muddy stream. Go out in the rain. Talk to that beige hen and grey cat. Allow yourself to feel the pain of that “tar-kissed” wound on your leg. Climb on that “Pongame” tree.

Never let the hungry child in you die. For, a breakthrough is coming. Every new day, you’ll discover and rediscover something new about you and the world around you. You’ll find yourself in the middle of nowhere, perplexed by the complex trajectory of that learning. You’ll know that “ignorance” and “unknown” are the biggest circumcircles. You’ll begin to realize that the first step of learning is unlearning. You’ll gradually unlearn what you knew about this place. You’ll know that you cannot learn everything about everything, But only something about something. You’ll stop seeking flawless answers. For, they don’t exist. You’ll find comfort even in the absence of answers.

You’ll learn to wholeheartedly embrace the bizarre coexistence of contradictions. You’ll realize there’s no black, there’s no white. It is just another cognitive distortion. In the bigger reality, only grey exists. You’ll come into terms with the fact that no theory is perfect. You’ll understand: Karma, Law of attraction and “what is written” are all fallacies they fall for, and there’s only “cause and effect” and “placebo effect” You’ll come to grasp, in the equation of reciprocity between “what you give” and “what you get”, there’s no governing instrument. You’ll cross paths with people whose perspectives stand at the poles’ distant shores, far from your own. You’ll find that making a statement is a big deal.

You’ll learn homo sapiens are just one of millions of species, that have ever lived on earth, but with a complex brain. This idea will change the way you see. You’ll discern that, “purpose of life” is a notion originated among ancient humans, only when they began to experience leisure. And the real purpose of life is to “live” Tired, you’ll stop making conclusions. You’ll stop tagging yourself. You’ll start being aware of your body and changes in it. You’ll slowly realize that your mind is not separate from your body. You will begin to embrace and harmonize both your masculine and feminine energies. You’ll come to know that healing is not being symptomless, but an ongoing, eternal journey. You’ll discover that anger is not bad, it’s the start of the healing process.

Many a time, you’ll walk this path in solitude. Know that you’re not meant to do it all alone, ask for help. You’ll see “boundary” is a thing, not everything deserves your energy. Embracing insecurities, you’ll start expressing. You’ll learn to heal, to love and to let emotions flow. You will realize that kindness and empathy remain the highest virtues, no matter what. You’ll love, and you’ll be loved. Algorithms, relativity, poetry and human mind, weird yet feasible combinations will excite you. You’ll fall in love with pages, with the moon and with the moonless night sky.

I know it’s hard to be you, and you’ll never learn it all. I know it’s hard when your efforts go unnoticed. But, hang in there. I see you. You do you Faries. Know that I love you and I’m proud of you.

— Faries