The Dangers heart shaped boxes

The Dangers of Heart Shaped Boxes:
And the tragedy of leaving them empty

There are a lot of dangerous things in the world these days; nobody can really argue that point anymore. We've got everything from cancer and diseases that come in mosquito bites, bad food, famine, war, poverty, death -- the works. We've got terrorism and ignorance aplenty, backroom politics that leave as all starving, we've got harsh weather, and, of course, the end of the world to look forward to now too. We've got over sized television, an excess of drunk drivers, even sex is a dangerous thing these days; it can rot your heart, your tongue, and your soul if you're really unlucky -- or at least that's what they'd tell you in abstinence training. There's one thing though that I consider the most dangerous of all the afflictions in the world. It's not hate, it's not dishonesty, it's not ignorance, and it's not even apathy. What I consider to be the most dangerous affliction of the modern era is that of those who have heart shaped boxes, sitting empty, in their chest.

It's these people, the ones who have no passion or, worse still, compassion to really feel something in the depths of who they are, that I think are in the most dire of our social care. What's the point of meandering through an existence without a genuine passion for what you're doing? It's not about a person, or even a hobby, but it's about having a passion for living. A life lived without a love of living just seems so empty and, more and more, I see an army of Tin people; they're all wandering down the streets with wishful hope buried deep behind their eyes, hoping to find a Wizard who can give them that one thing they felt like they lost somewhere along the way. Has it really been lost, or is it more that it's just been forgotten? In the world that we live in, where a general sense of apathy, if not selfishness and an outright demand for instant gratification, it seems to make more sense that people are just starting to drop it somewhere along the path. 

Hearts, and the emotion that comes with them, require a substantial sense of long term investment. To develop a sense of genuine feeling for what's going on around you, you have to be willing to really engross yourself in life. Even the sideline sense of it isn't good enough really; it's just that kind of 'empty box' thinking that leaves stains everything you do with the stink of an empty, rotting, carcass. A carrion heart is no good at all. It doesn't pump blood at the same, fervent, rhythm and it, sure as hell, can't bring a sense of real satisfaction to anything it touches.

Empty hearts lead to empty live because it’s what we fill them with, the moments that define who we are and what we feel, that really bring a sense of fulfillment to a moment. It’s the first wind of summer blowing through a field of flowers that gives up hope, the same as it a genuine sense of heartfelt loss for the old man who has seen his beloved home fall to the ruin of violence and apathy. We have to fill our hearts with feeling to really understand these moments and if we don’t, then what are we really doing? Are we really okay with becoming so disconnected from the plight and smiles of those who surround us on all sides?

It seems, to me, that a better way to live would be to indulge in these things, to fill our boxes with all manner of sours and sweets, and really embrace the variety of emotions that are present in the world around us. It’s through happiness we are able to measure worth, for sure, but it’s the sadness of our world, and the worth of others, that can often provide us with perspective. It seems, to me, to be better to brandish a heart on your sleeve, than lock it up inside an impenetrable box. After all, what are we but the sum of our experiences, and what do our experiences really mean if we were to take the feelings out of them?

What makes a moment memorable? Is it the temperature of the water, or the way it felt  on your felt the first time you stepped in the ocean. Do you remember what you ate on your best birthday, or the way you felt with the people around you? Why then does it seem so sensible to walk through life with an empty, heart, shaped, box? Why walk through the world so empty hearted and apathetic to those around you? Why only feel when the news tells you should, or only donate to the starving children of a third world country? Every day, I can promise you, you walk by dozens of people who are in just as much dire need for your compassion.

So have your moments, and have them daily, but give them too and share them just as often. Stop and consider the feelings of those around you. If you see someone suffering, don’t hesitate to do what you can to alleviate their suffering. If you see someone smiling, stop to at least consider what it is that’s brought them such joy. If you see someone crying, ask them what you can do. If you see someone laughing, join them. If you see a moment that stirs you, embrace it. It doesn’t matter what it is, why it moves you, or even how; have no shame in what it is you feel – and never let anyone take it away from you.

No matter what life throws at you, and it will throw a lot, take it. Take every rainy day, and every bit of sun. Take every nasty storm, every cut, scrape, bruise, and bang on your heart, and never, once, get mad about it. Listen to the sound those things make as they bounce off you, and, if it’s not hollow, it’s okay to smile. Even if it hurts, even if it makes you sad, it's part of being alive, and what’s not to love about that? Learning to love the things that are inside your own heart is the first step to loving the world you’re in, and, no matter what anyone says, the world’s worth feeling – every minute, of every damn day.

“In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life.”  -- Mumford & Sons ‘Awake my Soul’ from the album ‘Sigh no more.’