What It Pays to Be Curious of the World, Its Processes, and the People Around Us

I told my Dad to buy me this desk calendar because it felt like it could come in handy. The calendar was relatively simple and aesthetic in its function. The main thing I used it was to cross out each passing day. The biggest factor that gave out to my impulse to buy it was the specific quotes written beside each month, all varying on a theme that is specific to the season.

For August, the quote said:

Surround yourself with people who are only going to lift you higher.

Buying this calendar, I hoped for it to manifest good luck. It was one of those mechanisms I was used to doing to prevent myself from falling into another depression. I talked about this and so much more, including two other mechanisms I was using here.

We as humans like to put meaning to each thing — just like what I did. I tried hard enough to think how I could box myself in the same situation as the quote. To put it simply, I didn’t relate to this month’s manifestation. So, I wondered about the people who bought the same calendar template in-store; Would they have related to this quote in particular? How are they catching up in life? Do you think they are utilizing the calendar well? Have they got what’s worth their money with this calendar when they bought it?

These are questions above that produce sense and value. If I could only hear their answers and find that even for a tiny portion, the calendar was helpful then, that’s great! To own a simple object and house it with not only memories but usefulness that brings value, is nonetheless a worth-it buy. But, I also noticed a flaw — if it was bought without any particular meaning and stayed consistently that way even after months. The potential that could have been created is lost. Regardless of whether people are using what they buy for the better, it doesn’t strip away humanness in each decision or lifestyle. In addition to that, we like to put meaning on everything and this even varies considerably from personal experiences and cultural or sociological perspectives.

In my home country, most of us think about seeing a butterfly and assigning it a meaning that a loved one who passed is flying by to visit. This is just one saying from the vast belief system that one group in a certain period and certain regions of a country believes in. While it isn’t technically accurate to generate a system of belief as a basis for all human beings that ranged eons ago until those that are living around earth now, the universality of defining or designating something to better derive value from it aside from giving a thing names is absolutely inherent to humans. If I say,

“Yeah, August is a fresh start for most people since a new school year starts for all students and the school personnel. So, the quote saying that you should surround yourselves with people that are going to lift you rather than put you down rhetorically makes sense!”

— I made meaning out of a simple quote with various font styles and sizes. Do you realize how the version I made was composed of a chain of meanings, interwoven from my past experiences and social or cultural influences? That’s just how personal and unique meaning-making is to each person. Maybe, it also really was the intention of the people who produced or created this calendar — targeting an audience that would likely resonate with the template, to become motivated or inspired through words and sayings. Again, this is a coping mechanism.

Then, if it’s the case that people who bought similar calendar templates wanted it for inspiration and to utilize it as a coping mechanism, what are they like? Let me ask another set of questions to derive value and insight from:

Did they somehow obtain inspiration from reading the quote? Was it sufficient to go on with their day? How would they have been doing in life? Are they satisfied? Are they coping well?

I hope the response has been helpful.

When you are housed with insights and curiosities, life becomes fuller, nothing can take away the fruits of your endeavors. To believe that someone out there would need a force to push through in life and for them to accomplish it by all means possible would embark the seedling of growth, empathy, and understanding that is sure to flourish while bearing the meanings developed in life along the way.