Haruki Murakami: The 27 year old landscape

You are 27 or 28 right? It is very tough to live at that age. When nothing is sure. I have sympathy with you.

-Haruki Murakami

The essence of understanding

by Michael Atallah

There was a time in my life when I revolted against hard headed people. Actually, I revolted against allot of things - some sincerely, some in vain. But one of my sincere revolutions was the angst against those who seemed too hard headed to get my point. I thought for many years that i possessed this magical formulae that could wipe out any sense of worry and pain. Foolishly I adopted this method of being. It was, as I thought, so in tact with my thinking. I rammed against many a walls. And each time I hit a wall, my head wouldn't crack. I simply picked up and left. Thinking I would put that experience behind me and move on to the next pursuit. I picked up and left so many times that now it's a mystery why I even did what I did. I would have stood stronger on my decisions, but all I did was stand on myself. This isn't out of pity. I knew and know myself.

I know I am 27 and this is the age of expectation; definitely not from others, but of myself. It doesn't mean you have to tell yourself "I need to get my shit together", that never works. No, it's more about living through each and every mess you have to accept. Life writes you a check from the past seven years and now, 27-28, is time to accept and live through what you have no control over. The only thing you actually have control over is the landscape of your desires and sacrifices. It's true, and not proven by some madison avenue shrink. This is the time my fellow 27-28 year older when we need to take a stand to ourselves. We are weak in this stage of our lives and it couldn't be a better time. My head cracked and now I understand what I am supposed to do. I could have thousands of dollars in my bank account right now, yet it doesn't matter. The most important thing to us right now is truth and a higher meaning of a clean slate. Go ahead, confront yourself. Even if you are happily living a life you always wished for, there is still room for a little self revaluation.