Finding my finiteness

I've heard all the stories of touching the impossible. I've believed in all the clichés about the infinite potential of humanity. Maybe they've driven me at times, too, towards things I could've never imagined as a teenager. 

In a world that is becoming increasingly individualistic every day, I've worked on pushing my limits, telling myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. I can reach any milestone I set out for. 

While humanity's potential is infinite, a single human's potential isn't. There's a village behind every successful person - a nurturing mother, a tough-love giving father, a sibling to lean on, and many more. It's no wonder that people feel the need to thank them when they achieve their milestones - at award ceremonies, at their graduation. 

Despite all this, no human achieves everything. The most successful athlete might struggle to have stability at home. I've seen high IQ individuals struggle to read body language and ignore the loudest of hints. 

On most days, I ignore this reality. Ignorance is bliss, as someone said. Staying hungry and staying foolish, quite often, is the key to getting to places where one wouldn't venture with a sane mind. Yet, there are days, a few but memorable ones, when even those touching the edges of possibility must realise their limits as a human. It is in those moments that they think of all the people who played a role in their journey, and they thank their god for the helping hand, in the form of a bit of luck. 

As I turn a new chapter in my life, the sound of my finiteness is louder than it has been in a while. It whispers in my ears every day. The thought comes up in the small things. When I can't lift a heavier weight at the gym, when I feel too slow at the tennis court, or when I've just had a long day. I realise the limits of my body. 

At other times, it comes in the larger questions of life. Buying a couch, planning for a home, preparing for a family, or simply the thoughts of ageing parents. I'm reminded time and again, of the limits of what I can do. I'm reminded that I'm nothing but a human. Like others before me, I have the same struggles - finite time and resources in a world of infinite possibilities. I must learn to accept it. I must make peace with this inconvenient truth.

Perhaps, all the propaganda of our infinite potential is nothing but our God complex. Our insufferable, toxic trait is to live in denial of our finiteness. You can achieve anything; you can reach the milestones that you set your eyes on. Don't forget to thank the ones who pointed you in the right direction, the ones who gave you water in the heat, and shelter when your body ached, and maybe thank the stars that aligned to give you a body capable of walking the distance in the first place. Lastly, be aware of what you lost out for it, and make peace with it.