Don't Take Anything For Granted

Nothing ever goes as planned, so don't take anything for granted; 
if you do, the world will kick your ass


Those lines are from Kimya Dawson's song "Anthrax", and it seems to me  to be one of those very simple and resoundingly true statements about life that everyone should harbour in their minds as one of the basic precepts that form who they are, that structure their mind frame.

Perhaps it's a bit strong for the sake of expression--I mean, of course some things go according to plan--but if you understand it to mean that at any give moment, that which you thought was certain and solid could evaporate and scatter into mist, you will be protected against the capricious ways of the world. The world and people and things are uncertain; the only thing you have complete autonomous power over is how you think about things, and then, to a lesser-but-significant extent, your body. Basically, your only certainties are your thoughts and what you have done (/can do) with your body. Considering the intricacies and connectivity of society, these are actually very very small certainties. If you forget this, if you extend your sense of certainty beyond these, as she sings, "The world will kick your ass".

If you let this principle form a basic pillar of your thought, you will always be more protected against unexpectancies than s/he who isn't. When the rains come, you knew the world was capricious, and instead of lamenting, you will be ready. When your friends turn against you, you knew it could happen. When your lover leaves you, you were never so presumptuous as to rule it out as impossible. When those plans fall through, you sigh but turn your eye to something else, having been prepared for anything the world could throw at you.

Don't take anything for granted, but love life and play its game. It's a very interesting game, after all.

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