How Murakami Saved My Life
I was introduced to Haruki Murakami in the early chapters of adolescence when life was not feeling very generous towards me. Because of him, that razor never really touched my skin.
Young and naïve, I fell in ‘love’ multiple times and got hurt on several occasions. Being the emo and silly teenager I was, I fell into despair when my life took a particularly rough turn. School was not so great, the guy I fell madly in ‘love’ with turned out to be a major asshole and my friends…well, they were there alright but nobody really knew what was going on . On top of all that, I was studying overseas at the time and with no family to support me at rough times, I fell even deeper into the pit.
Murakami, through his words, encouraged me to persevere on and to just take life as it comes. Things are the way they are because that’s the way they are meant to be.
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
This quote rings true in my head, “people will get hurt when it’s time for them to get hurt,” with which I could not agree more. Through past pain and mistakes, we learn to be a better person; and we strive on to not let the circumstances defeat us. We control our lives, and it’s up to us to wallow in sorrow or to overcome that pain and grow stronger. After all, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”
Yes, as we grow up we tend to build up our collection of regrets or things that we could’ve or should’ve done. Unfortunately, time stops for no man. We have to go out there and seize as many opportunities as we can.
There was no use of me mourning over all my problems, and I decided to channel all my anger and sadness towards my studies in the end. It was one of the best decision I ever made that allowed me to enter a decent school.
“Taking crazy things seriously is a serious waste of time.”
Some people, no matter how hard you try, are just not meant to stay in your life. Immature boys chasing after you and then throwing you out like some disposable toy once they’re bored are a waste of your time. I deserve more than that. We all deserve more than that, I realized this maybe a tad bit too late but I did get out of it. Seriously, play along if you want to but know that it would not last.
“What happens when people open their hearts ?”
“They get better.”
One major breakthrough I had from having a series of dark episodes in my early adolescence was that venting helps. Sharing some of that load with someone you trust helps. Learn to trust others so that they may learn to trust you.
In the end, I guess every thing boils down to how you want to change and turn the situation around. Murakami did help me realize that I could change but I myself made that decision to get better. We must realize that we all can get better and turn everything around.