Explore or Conform

Fortunate to have been born into a family driven to explore rather than conform, boredom has never been an issue for me. Most every teacher at ten schools attended in as many public education districts I lived in tried their damnedest to instill conformity as my default mode of operation in society, but prior exposure to unfathomable joys and excitement only wild explorations can bring while my mind was still in primal learning mode thwarted such a toxic outcome. And so, boredom simply isn't a factor affecting my life and never has been.

And as unbored people of the world have invented and innovated throughout this lifetime I've been enjoying so much by developing countless ways to enhance life explorations beyond my wildest dreams of youth, seizing upon such opportunities has been instinctually automatic. A day does not pass that something wonderfully new is encountered and learned about. This is not to say there are no frustrations experienced in daily living, but even those bumps are significantly diminished by all the ways and means of overcoming them with relative ease, no matter how daunting they may be.

Transition into adulthood occurred at pace as explorations progressed into vast new realms–invention and innovation easily keeping pace with my insatiable appetite for understanding over mere satisfaction with status quo. Even in college where professors attempted to force thought patterns geared toward rote memorization and regurgitation to pass exams designed for easy points tallying and tracking, so many alternate learning paths appeared and invited minds too hungry and agile to be lured and trapped in conformity cages.

Living as a being driven by urges of exploration rather than one of conforming subjugation hasn't been detrimental by any measure. Difficult, yes, but then no difficult endeavor is ever boring. Wracking mind and body to strike out and explore is never easy, but it beats the hell out of simply acquiescing and being anchored down or yanked along by chains of conformity. And with each successful action of exploration, contentment settles and swells within, producing an ever-increasing sensation of wonderment and curiosity to explore more, never satisfied with what is already known.

Now, as final decades of life come into view, no apparent need to suddenly conform arises. On the contrary, that state of being would unnecessarily accelerate the inevitable advance of the end of this lifetime. To conform to such an outcome grates. Seizing life in exploration does not mesh with relinquishment through any acceptance of death's unavoidability. And continuation of exploration diminishes fear of death's unstoppable approach. That too will be an exploratory experience, its unknowns countless and fascinating.