This project, a book about myself, was only a loose idea that began with a song. I didn’t have a set of topics that I wanted to write about, only that I should reach the number 27. I took a few things that I had written before, and jotted down some random thoughts that came to me. As I came closer to the magical number 27, it occurred to me that many of my essays revolved around two central ideas — hope, and fear.
Humans have been obsessed with the idea of foreseeing the future since the beginning of time. Fortune tellers were often revered and feared at the same time for their abilities, and people flocked to them clinging to the hope that they will provide some comfort over the fear of the unknown future. In Greek mythology, Cassandra, the cursed princess whose gift of foresight was met by unbelievers, epitomizes the paradox of knowing the future yet powerless to change it. Another example of a similar paradox is the Bible. People are foretold what the future is going to be and it gives them great hope of something that is infinitely better than what they have now. But because it is not here yet, they constantly question its validity.
So that’s how people live their lives, driven by the hope that the future will be wonderful, and the fear that the future will be bleaker than the past. As time progresses, sometimes our fears become reality, other times we are lucky to get what we hoped for, but we constantly manufacture new hopes and fears. Of course, life always obliges our fickle nature with twists and turns that our wildest imaginations couldn’t come up with.
In life we are perpetually searching. Some search for meaning, others faith. Some look for a higher purpose, others look for material wealth. Some are desperate for love, others find comfort in solitude. But you know, we are all simply looking for something to hold on to, as we walk the thin line between hope and fear.
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