What it's like to be a small human in a big world

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As someone who’s travelled the world quite extensively, I often find myself thinking about how big it is, and how easy it is to feel like a small drop in a big ocean. I also oftentimes find myself in the incredibly privileged position of feeling overwhelmed by the possibility of living a thousand lives in a thousand different places across the world.

But somehow, in a world full of opportunity, at this moment, I find myself back at home. Back in the place where I’ve already spent over 20 years of my life and the place where I know the best. I currently find myself back where I grew up instead of in a new place halfway across the globe that sparked my imagination.

After a week of showing my home country, Jamaica 🇯🇲 , to a friend from Germany 🇩🇪 , I’m reflecting on what it means to be just a small human in a big world.

Happy Sunday, my friends. Thanks for being here and for opening this week’s #TheLifeofJLOWE newsletter.

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To be a small human in a big world

We are all small parts of this incredibly large world. Although the media may make it seem like some people make up larger parts of the world, whether through their power, money or influence, the reality at hand is that we all take up relatively equal spaces here.

More than that, each of us also has relatively the same amount of time on this earth. Again, while it may seem like some people may “accomplish” more than others in the same amount of time, the reality at hand is that we also occupy relatively equal amounts of time here too.

For me, thinking about that temporality is incredibly harrowing. It’s frightening to think that everything we do, see, hear and experience is temporary, and even more harrowing than it being temporary is the fact that it’s also individual.

The things you feel, hear, experience, love, hate and create are all unique to your own experience of the world, no matter how much you try to share it with other people. Nobody else will be able to experience the world in the same way that you have.

You and I are small humans in a big world, separated by the uniqueness of our experiences and simultaneously united by our shared experiences of similar events.

Be empowered by the individuality of life

To me, one of the most beautiful things in life is to be able to share your experiences with others. It’s amazing to be able to relate to one another, learn from one another and build relationships through shared interests and similar past experiences.

Our societies are built on these shared experiences - through conversations and human interactions that bring us closer to one another because of our ability to communicate about them.

In that same vein, however, it’s easy to lose the individuality of your experiences that I described earlier because of this societal bond that we create by sharing them. It’s easy to do things because other people think they’re interesting, or pursue goals that other people have set for themselves independently of you.

You should never be doing something in your life solely because someone else said you should be. Yes, you can do things that other people advise you to do, but do them because you want to, not because someone chose that path for you. Don’t give yourself anyone to blame or credit for your life journey other than yourself.

As I’ve discussed many times before, it’s easy to lose your own definition of success in life by following what others have defined success as. Sometimes that means chasing an elite or societally praised career path or maybe just a “good” grade in a class, but in those moments, you have to remember to follow your own interests and your own heart, and that will help you to get back onto your own personal journey towards success.

In fact, when you begin to navigate life in that way - following your passions, your heart or maybe just a little gut feeling that tells you which direction to point your life compass in - your relationships with other people become so much more rich, because you’re able to communicate with other people from a genuine place of self and individuality.

Conclusion

As I said, it’s a harrowing thought to be a small human in a big world.

Additionally, it’s incredibly difficult to appreciate your individuality in a world that has so many pulls in so many different directions. It’s hard to know what your passion is, what your own identity is and what you really want to do in life.

Full disclosure - I don’t know either, and I will never pretend to have it all figured out.

Something that has helped to guide me on my journey, however, is this quote that I’ll leave you with for the rest of the week:

As I said earlier, your time here is limited, and your experiences are yours. So whatever you set out to do, do it for you and only you. Let that guide you as you choose where you go, and how you take up space as a small human in this big world.

Until next Sunday,

JLOWE