Dharma – one’s righteous duty.
Routine – a course of normative, standardized actions or procedures that are followed regularly, often repetitiously.
My Monday Routine
- Stay up all night doing my Environmental Design sketchbook assignment
- Wake up to go to my 9 AM Stats discussion
- Turn in my sketchbook
- Take the bus down to Starbucks
- Get coffee and try to be productive until my class at noon
- Go to class
- Leave class at 2 and go home
Today started off like any typical Monday. I was tired from the night before as I desperately tried to put together a sketchbook project for my environmental design class that was somewhat near decent. However, on my way to turn in the project, I ran into a friend. As we talked for a minute and I described this constant procedure I have every Monday, she said something that caught me by surprise. She told me that she didn’t think I was so
routine.
I find myself constantly falling into routine. Even though I like to think of myself as an individual and someone that doesn’t fall into the normative constructs of societal stereotypes, I somehow find myself falling into the crevices of the normative routines that trap everyone. Although school is important, I find that it sometimes, and especially this semester and now more so than others, confines me to routines and stops me from pursuing my passion of art. I constantly find myself bombarded with assignments that stop me from making and creating what I love best.
We had a guest speaker in my Peace and Conflict Studies class and he talked about non-violence and its influences on leaders and its current position in society today. Interestingly enough, he talked about this idea of
Dharma. As trite as it may seem, the idea of “follow your dreams” has been strangled and buried under socio-economic implications that are given birth by our capitalistic society. Instead, children are influenced by a society driven around money and any job that provides any sort of security of it instead of being encouraged to foster in creative expression and imagination. Individuals are no longer unique, but instead a mute servant to a system that demands conformity to its ideas of perceptions of these securities.
However, the idea of Dharma argues that everyone has a specific duty or purpose in life. Doing a “bad” job at whatever your dharma might be is better than doing a “good” job at someone else’s dharma. Our guest lecturer told us that the reason why people have mid life crises is because they never followed their Dharma and were instead influenced by those around them to doubt their own abilities to fulfill this Dharma.
The problem arises because our society lacks this search of Dharma and recognition of it. Instead we are put into institutions that we call schools where we briefly study concepts but never really apply them to anything. These passions, dreams, ideas that we harbor, which disagree with societal norms and expectations, are disregarded and never have the opportunity to grow.
Hearing all of this was inspirational. I have always wanted to be an artist all my life and even though society says I am going to be poor and that I should pursue something else, I am going to stick to it. Often, people look at me strangely when I tell them I am simply an Art major and nothing more. Sometimes they do suggest I do something else, but from my experience in taking other classes I have found that the most rewarding classes are the ones I am passionate about. Rather than follow someone else’s dreams or expectations, I am going to follow my Dharma. I am going to be an artist. I am going to try and be a humanitarian. I am going to promote the arts and let kids know that they don’t have to fall into the trap and that they can really follow their dreams. Idealistic? Optimistic? Perhaps. But I know I am going to be doing what I love and regardless if that brings in the cash or not, I know I did what I wanted without having regrets or doubts later. I know I will face hardships and doubts along the way, but as long as I continue with this Dharma, I know I will be fine. If you think about it, the most successful people are the one’s that followed their dreams, not the one’s that went in it for the money.
So like the guest speaker asked my class, what is
your Dharma?
