Airplanes

To fly away. Escape from all my problems. My whole goal for all these years of preparation for college has been to go far away for school, or at least to be in the land I love, California.
I wish I could escape from the chains of money. I wish I could find a way to escape all my emotional misery. I wish I could escape all the fears I have. I wish I could escape my ego. I wish I could escape the rat race. I wish I could escape my job. I wish I could escape the whole idea of reputation. I wish I could escape from the binds on my heart.
Freedom. It's something we take for granted.

This weekend at my last JSA convention I listened to an inspirational speech from one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, who ended up here in Issaquah. While he went to the rival high school, he was just happy to be educated indoors, with a classroom of less than 150, with real pencils. He ended up going to college. He only went to Central, but for him that was an impossible dream. He is living his American dream. He is living the life he never thought he could live as he was attacked at gunpoint or as his village was destroyed. In his view the only obstacle to Americans achieving the American Dream is the sense of entitlement we hold. It is so true. I feel like I deserve to go to some great school other than UW, just because I worked "hard." I guess I am really foolish. I mean I really should not be so stubborn about leaving. I should just be happy with what I have.

The truth is that we can fly away from our problems. But fleeing our problems does not mean they disappear. They may hide for a few days, months, or even years, but they will come back to haunt you eventually. I need to thrive wherever I am, and if I am stuck here, I should just change my mindset.

In Song of Solomon, the main character wants to fly. But he can't. At least he can't until he puts to rest his conflicts and struggles. We need to resolve these crazy issues if we want to fly. Flying with our problems is just fake.

I am not stuck here, I am here to learn to fly.

"Airplanes" - B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams



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