When Surreal Is So Real

The acropolis is an apocalypse

What pain do I choose to endure?

Happiness emerges from struggle

But it should be the struggles we choose

Humanity needs this cure

I want to be my own ideal

To see it and strive and feel alive

Like atoms, we should find our comfortable excited state

I refuse to leave it to fate

I abide by the Backwards Law

I seek this ideal with a clenched jaw

I apply the scientific method

To nature I remain connected

I cancel the noise and free my mind

I pull out my knife and cut my binds

I endeavor to be kind

Freedom is mine

JArtB

Note:

The “Backwards Law,” a concept popularized by philosopher Alan Watts, states that the more you desperately pursue a positive experience, the more you reinforce the feeling of lack, resulting in the opposite effect. Conversely, accepting negative experiences often leads to positive outcomes. [1, 2, 3, 4]

This counterintuitive principle spans multiple aspects of life: [1, 2]

• Happiness: Striving to be happy all the time highlights your current discontent, leading to misery.
• Confidence: Forcing confidence breeds insecurity. Accepting your flaws puts you at ease in your own skin.
• Anxiety: The harder you fight to force calm, the more restless you become. Accepting the anxiety removes the tension.
• Relationships: Desperately demanding trust or affection pushes people away.
• Physical Survival: In water, flailing and fighting to stay afloat causes you to sink. Relaxing and surrendering allows you to float. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]