one of my colleague’s at work told me to ask ChatGPT to play devils advocate and write the polar opposite of my last blog post.
so this post is not written by me; but it has left me in a existential conundrum.
here it is:
there’s this concept in japanese i’ve been thinking about a lot.
it’s “諦念” (tein).
it means acceptance.
here’s an excerpt from wikipedia:
tein (諦念, lit. ‘a sense of resignation’) is a japanese concept referring to the calm acceptance of life as it is. it embodies the idea that sometimes, letting go is the only way to move forward.
we all need something to live for, sure. but there’s this equally valid reality we often ignore: sometimes, doing nothing is enough. sometimes, just being is enough.
for months, i’ve been hammering away at code, chasing this high, climbing this imaginary ladder. sure, 18-year-old me might be impressed. but maybe 18-year-old me didn’t have the wisdom to understand that always chasing, always reaching, always wanting isn’t inherently better than just being.
here’s the truth no one tells you: greatness is overrated. it’s a treadmill with no stop button. sure, it’s fun to sprint for a while, but what are you really chasing? what’s at the end of that finish line?
we romanticize pressure. we idolize the struggle. but do we ever stop and ask, “why?” why do we insist that life is about finding some lofty purpose, achieving some grand ideal? what if the line doesn’t end? what if there’s no path, just the illusion of one?
here’s where i differ from the bird staring at the monitor: the bird doesn’t care. the bird doesn’t question its existence, or wonder what it all means, or build castles in the air about magnum opuses and destinies. the bird lives.
you don’t have to wake up every day with a grand purpose. sometimes it’s enough to wake up, eat something, go outside, and let the sun hit your skin. the pressure you’re putting on yourself? it’s not some noble force—it’s self-imposed. it’s optional.
maybe you’ll never build your magnum opus. maybe there’s no “other side” to find. maybe this is it: the monitor, the bird, and the act of existing.
and guess what? that’s okay.
you don’t need to find your purpose. you already have it. you are your purpose. everything else? it’s just noise. let it go. breathe. exist. live.