There must be more to life than this.

How one spends their time and the worth of that time spent has come up a few times in the last week, but it is also an issue that is on my mind often. The fact that we as human; as animals on this earth, can believe that we are important as individuals and that if we choose something to do with our life, that we can be somehow find our place in the world by doing it is a really interesting concept. What makes us do anything? A desire to fulfill something needed is what all animals do. When a cat is tired it sleeps, when he is hungry he eats, or bored he plays. That is obvious, but why is it that humans have evolved a need to find a niche? Most animals already have niches that they are born into (there are cultures that behave in ways that are not as individualistic as our culture, but for the sake of discussion, I will leave that out). So where do I want to go in life? What purpose do I have? I can do almost anything I choose, so why is it that when people are finally in the place that they have wanted to be, they start to want something different? There is a discontentment that is common among humans (probably mainly Americans), and it is upsetting. I feel it, quite often actually. For instance, perhaps being at school makes me want to go home, but then when I go there, I want to go back to school again. There is a period of time in which contentment can exist, but it always fades. Is this just a dysfunction of the lifestyle? Will it go away? This cartoon made me think of something I said to someone the other day. I told her that I wanted to go backpacking, just to get out of civilization and to get back to myself and the earth for a while. After that, I said that after about a week of it I would probably really want a shower and a soft bed and real food and would hate where I was in the present. I really appreciate the world around me, so why is it that I feel like this. I know it is not just me, so there is obviously something wrong on a grander scale. I don’t think I am really looking for answers to these questions, because I think I probably know some of them, but just going about making a mental switch is the tough part. I would just like to simply state that we have to start appreciating the situation we are in for the good parts, not the bad, because although things are hard and getting harder, there is still good parts, like friends and just the fact that you are able to experience this at all. I know when you get upset, it just seems like there is no way to see the bright side, but it is there and it is beautiful. It is winter and there is snow and a chill and sometimes no sun, but if you wake up and look out your window, you may see the pink tinge of morning, you may hear birds. The air is coldest when the sky is clear and all the stars a visible. Is this all there is to life?; the hardships and the emotions and the people, good or bad, and the love that you feel which can sometimes cause you the most pain, and the blue sky, environmental issues, political issues, humanitarian issues, economical issues, ignorance, being too hot or too cold, and waking up early when you’re dead tired and feeling the sun’s warmth even when it’s cold? I don’t know, it’s just a thought.