I read somewhere how cliché the ending “…and they lived happily ever after” is. The article questions if anyone ever gets tired of it, and commented about people living in fantasy when it’s actually too far from reality.
Well, I’ve heard the phrase for like a thousand times, “Reality is different from fairy tales”. I guess, those stories from childhood really had us dreaming and expecting too much in life. The tales of a Prince falling in love with a servant/poor girl, having the ending of a ‘happily ever after’; the poor boy becoming the richest man in the place and marrying a beautiful girl all because of luck & love, and they lived happily ever after; a spell cast out & the person becomes free all because of true love, and ‘happily ever after’ happened next, and so many more…
Perhaps, we should have been warned enough too about how different it really is in true life. Then again, maybe not…
Come to think of it. “Happily ever after”. A little shady & I think something about it should be… thought about. Don’t you think so?
Well, maybe it’s just me, but hey, look around you. Love at first sight may happen, and marriage confirms it, but then again, first love sometimes fades, and marriages are not always the security it would seem… So the probability of twists and turns has always been numbered and present even then… Perhaps, the fairy tales we have often thought & dreamt of as the perfect setting were cut-off and advanced too soon to the happy ending (an epilogue, fast-forward). So does that mean, no matter how we sway from the objective or lose our path, we still get a happy ending? To be honest, I don’t know… But I guess, that’s more like reality, isn’t it? Rather than hating fairy tales as we become adults, thinking that the storyline from the gleeful scene of marriage, romantic kiss or freedom, to the scene described as ‘happily ever after’ was intentionally/unintentionally hidden so we can discover and unfold it ourselves would be a much better reason for us to believe in happy endings, which could be True Love, Success, Wealth, Contentment, and the like.
Moreover, childhood is meant to be the foreground/playground of life, I guess. And thinking about it, these stories give us hope to look forward to. So I guess the fantasy or fictionalized script is meant to be told in a way that our foundation as humans and so is our dreams would be formed, whatever lies in the hidden pages are meant to be dealt with – the actual living – as we grow depending on our understanding and the strength we muster. Whether we fight or fold, cling or let go, seal our focus or lose our balance, it is upon us to weather life.
Hope… Have hope… Indulge in it… Yet easier said than done… Giving up has always been a wiser choice, any way it seems (for me, that is). Hard times, devastating news, they come like raging wildfire, but good news seem to be scarce. We eventually feel that the world where living should be a blessing, now becomes a burden.
Yes, it is a lot easier to give up. The thing is, what do I really get when I give up? Nothing but failure, sorrow, and sometimes, a dead body – these are facts. I’ll be straight-forward. Suicidal thoughts – I have them. I do, and I am 100% not kidding about it. The thoughts are no joke; it is not funny at all.
I observe people from day to day. From their words, actions, posts… There are a lot struggling of mental conflict, to say the least. Most wouldn’t admit it though, and that may be good for some, but not for others. What I’m trying to say is, there is no standard procedure in identifying nor fixing it. Each struggle is different, every person has distinct personality. And the recipe for each would be different…
I mentioned above having to struggle with my sanity… You might wonder or try to test me, “What keeps me breathing then”? That question would be something I wish I wouldn’t ever have to answer in detail… Because my response may not be something I would be proud of, or something I could eloquently explain – like a fiction short of elaboration… But, I’ll tell you, for the sake of justifying the varying fix I was blabbing about, which is parallel to the phrase “case-to-case basis”.
The thoughts do not leave me alone. It’s like recurring disease. It doesn’t go away. It feels like it’s always on standby to strike at any moment. And at that moment, a breaking point or “rock bottom” as others call it, things would really be dark, not even cloudy… It took me long to realize what kept me from totally drifting away, you see. The stuff I so hate in me, was actually what held/holds me from losing it. My Pride. You might raise an eyebrow, but it’s true. I have an ego so high on a pedestal, that I feel so dumb and idiotic when I make a mistake. I am aware of this faulty character of mine, and I loathe myself for being unable to get rid of it, and that adds up more to my frustration… But the fact that I am also too egoistic for a ‘non-sensible ending’, gets me thinking of the inversed version of my earlier question. If I keep on, what do I get? Is a win guaranteed? Of course not! But at least if my story fails, I will be told to have gone down with a fight. My pride would not at least be a talk of shame. That Pride… And a hint of Faith (though I am often guilty of being in denial – please don’t judge me; it’s hard enough to write about it here)…
As I am writing this, I know my struggles are still there, and I wouldn’t say I am consistent nor confident enough to keep advancing, but I just wanted to let the world, or even may be just one person going through a ‘storm’ or a ‘black hole’ know that you are not alone. There is no comparison whether yours or mine is lighter. Whatever you are struggling about is NOT nonsense! It is significant to your own story – a vital detail to the book of your life. Now, no one says it is easy to write nor read with teary eyes, but a crooked penmanship is much fulfilling than an incomplete book. The pages shall be filled. Thus, one can figure out their ‘happily ever after’ whatever or however it could be.
P.S. Remember, one’s ‘happily ever after’ may not always be shown nor said in the last chapter… It could be proven by/in the Prologue of another’s book of life.
~eia®
20180122
If you know anyone struggling with Mental crisis, let them know you care. Listen, and if you think you can, help, but be extra careful with your words and responses. Otherwise, seek assistance from professionals.
The Troublemaker's Blabber-Mind 