There’s a cycle in nature that we’re all too familiar with, at least in theory. Birth, small, helpless, getting fed by parents. Protected by those bigger and stronger or those that are seen as responsible. Then growing, learning about the world, how to survive, what’s important and what’s necessary. Those responsible remind you of the dangers and the need to be self-sufficient. Yet still, you are protected by those bigger than you. Then you are thrusted into the world to try things, see how they work, if you know how to work them. They call this youth. It is where most creatures experience they best time of their lives, before life happens. This is where any living being will feel like they’ll have the most if not all freedom. At least those fortunate enough to not have to start life early and have to grind to make a living hunting, praying on those weaker, swimming or running for their lives. And after this brief period, you are asked to get your life in order and be self-sufficient. This is the first taste of stress, anxiety and where you learn that the price of freedom comes at a cost. And it is not cheap, whether you’re a bee, a bird, a snake, a buffalo, an elephant or worse of all, a human. This is the moment those truly fortunate continue to enjoy life, and the rest follow those that were unfortunate at a younger age to work and grind for their life and freedom. And then you get to be your parent’s age…

After much work, much grinding and much time, you get to look around and see how tough everything is. How you have to live, work, and be at a certain standard all the time. It feels exhausting, you think to yourself. This isn’t what I was promised when I was told I could be anything I wanted, you remind yourself of youth. But there’s nothing you can do about it. If you want to eat, if you want to drink, if you want to procreate, if you want to live, you have to do what everyone else is doing. You start hearing that everything is like a jungle. It’s either eat or be eaten alive. Yet when you look around there’s plenty for everyone, but some choose to hoard and let it all get moldy and rotten. But, you can’t complain, you have your own share and you have to be happy with it, or someone will come and snatch it all away from you for being ungrateful. And of course that’s true, if it were all a jungle and only the strong survive. And of course it is just a jungle, if you don’t know about forests or deserts. And then time passes and you do as those before you did. Yet you notice something…

No one knows what they are doing. Sure, one knows how to make honey, another knows how to scavenge for food and one last one might know how to hunt. But just because you know how to do one thing well, doesn’t mean you know how to do all things well. Yet everyone you meet seems to be an expert with tips and tricks on how to do about everything. Though the more you hear the more you ask yourself if that is even true. So, you start feeling uneasy about where you are and take a peak outside the jungle. You discover mountains, grass plains, forests full of a thousand different trees, deserts and ice. Animals and insects you’ve never seen, appear out of nowhere, and tell you stories of ways to do something you did all your life in a different way. The more you learn, the more ways to do things you find, and the more time you spend learning the more you doubt everything you know. You become unsure, you become more anxious, nervous and uncertain about everything. Yet, you find the things that can never be disproven and that are certain beyond any shadow of a doubt in any jungle, forest, mountain cave you’ve ever been in, those things were always the same.

And now the world expects you to do as they’ve done. But you’re not sure you should, since you don’t know much and you don’t know if it’s the right thing. So you go back to the jungle and you meet those you’ve met before. They seem overconfident in what they’re saying now. So, you confront them and they lash back at you, you’re a traitor for calling what they believe into question. You know that you can’t trust them anymore. Anyone that knows anything for certain yet doubts what has been proven is not someone to trust. And the more you look, the more it seems that the whole world is full of these creatures. Friend, foe, family or pray, you can find them everywhere you look. Ant, bird, snake, lion or man are masters of one job, and jacks of none, you think to yourself as you are just a jack of all trades, but a master of not one job. Yet it doesn’t matter. Because life continues, change is slow and incremental and whatever you do, however you struggle and no matter how much you scream. There are no adults in this world, just children playing pretend.

Hope you liked this post. It’s been a few years since I last wrote something more personal and direct like this. But, since The Pilot Program 2021 is completed, I thought to fill the void with some old-school style posts like these. Hope you liked it, if you did and want to keep the short stories free, you can always donate at https://www.paypal.me/RaulFO