This week, through all my discussions and all the curiosity-drenched silence, I have developed a theory. And I don't even know if I agree with this theory or not completely, but I'll figure that all out later. After all, this is only---a theory.
But for right now, lets start from the beginning. This question can, obviously, be answered many different ways. The initial reaction I received from most people I asked was something like this: "Um, okay...well, do you mean for today? Or for this week? My whole life? It all just depends." Which makes complete sense. We wait, essentially, for everything: to get out of class, to get off work, to see a good friend, to meet the person we want to marry, etc. The list infinitely goes on.
With that said, the most fascinating conversation I had about this question was with my friend Eva. She has a very innocent and honest way of thinking that seemed pivotal when she answered this question. I asked Eva what she was waiting for and she answered with the array of possibilities that every other person gave as a respond, in some variation. It wasn't until I asked a related question that she really started to make me think. I asked, "Ev, but do you think there can ever be a person who just isn't waiting for anything?"
She confidently replied, "No because if you're not waiting for anything then what are you doing right now?" All I could do was smile and nod. It seemed as if she had a point; it was a very important point that I had never thought of.
It was from this very moment with Eva that I came to think of this theory-like idea:
I think that all people are constantly waiting for either a beginning or an end.
We wait to go somewhere or to get back, for a birth or a death, for freshmen year or graduation, for the movie to start or to end, etc. There is a pattern within us. We are always waiting. Now whether that is a bad or good thing is for you to decide.
The other day, I read a fiery and motivating article written by Lori Deschene that took a challenging angle from this question. She doesn't ask so much what are you waiting for but why are you waiting at all. It'll keep you thinking and maybe even provoke you to actually do something.
Question Number Three: What are you afraid of?
I think waiting is an inevitable part of life sometimes. It is almost impossible not to wait to get out of a boring class; you're just going to wish it was over. Sometimes waiting is bad (e.g. waiting for your life to change - it's your life, change it yourself), sometimes waiting is good (e.g. remaining celibate until marriage), and sometimes waiting just seems neutral (e.g. waiting to meet your spouse). Anyway, that's what I think.
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