Pen Pal

Dear Kayla,

You asked if I have words of wisdom for you. The answer is yes. Here they are:

You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.

I’d love to take credit for that, but it’s from a writer by the name of Sam Harris. He was arguing that free will is an illusion, which I’m sure you’ll agree is a thoroughly depressing idea. Bypassing the dour philosophical stance, however, I really like the perspective that chaos isn’t outside us. It’s always within, even if we perceive it to be otherwise.

You’re the chaos. You’re the storm. You’re the one creating the high winds and choppy seas you have to navigate. You’re the source of everything that’s happening.

In other words, you’re the one with the power.

The question then becomes what are you going to do with it?

Sam Harris would tell you I completely wrecked his argument and I have no idea what I’m talking about, but we’re not listening to him.

Listen to yourself, Kayla. Stop and really listen.

You’re the storm.

What is all your thunder and lightning telling you?

Dante