51. WHY? - “Proactive Evolution”
Proactive evolution sounds as if it could be the next craze some motivational speaker tries to pander to the masses, right alongside the ubiquitous and amorphous cloud that is “mindfulness”. In fact, maybe the goal of mindfulness is to achieve a state of proactive evolution. Quick, somebody give me a book deal!
All joking aside, there is a alluring quality to the term (and the concept) of proactive evolution. I feel as if its synonymous to the window within which the late twenties and early thirties unfold. When those of us who have spent our youths chasing various dreams and avoiding certain responsibilities and commitments finally realize we should begin to construct some semblance of order and security within our lives. Some might call it selling out, settling down, or letting the system finally crush your last shimmering glimmer of humanity, and while I’m inclined to agree, I also think that it’s necessary evil.
Like it our not, we live within a system, and as appealing as any iteration of libertarianism, anarchism, or nihilism might be, we have to learn to navigate and succeed within this system (especially if we want to change it), or else we run the risk of being labeled an ineffectual and hypocritical dreamer. Because lets be real, there is no escaping it, no matter what your beliefs are. It infects every aspect of our daily lives, therefore by intertwining ourselves to its mechanisms we gain leverage and give more credence to our remonstrations. Proactive revolution is about maturity. It’s about harnessing passion and putting it towards creating actual positive and concrete changes rather than simply haranguing the system and partaking in some sort of haphazard personal revolution or asceticism.
Maybe I’m just speaking to myself, or maybe I’m just making of half-assed attempt to justify getting old. Who knows? Or maybe that’s just it, and proactive evolution can take all sorts of shapes and positions, because in the end it’s subjective, adjusting to each individual and carrying them towards anything they might interpret as positive or new (yes, I’m still hoping for that book deal).
