Creating a new reality

Was editing a theological article a while ago (I started doing this even before I went into interiors). Normally, I don't reflect on the stuff I read, just intent on meeting a deadline. But a paragraph struck me:

"Vision is a way of peceiving reality. Without being exclusively so, a vision is more about what reality ought to be than how it presently is. It is an ideal derived from experience rather than just a contrived thought. A vision, in general, is important because it stirs the imagination and provides both inspiration and direction. It encourages exploration to realize what is imagined to be possible. It has been pointed out that 'every social movement or political experiment begins with a vision which animates it and draws it forward. It is a vision which compels the response of those who share it. A common social vision is something which people aspire to, are exhilirated by, and are willing to make sacrifices for. It transforms present action and interprets it in terms of future possibilities.'" (From Jose M. De Mesa's "The Mysterion which Is Marriage: A Vision for the Marital Life," from the publication I'm editing; quote by John Fuellenbach in Church: Community for the Kingdom)

Months and months ago, I was struggling to find direction. I realized that this stemmed from a lack of vision--I had no clear picture in my head of what I wanted to do. There were so many paths to take, and with each one loomed the potential of regret, of looking back and seeing I was too far along to retrace my steps and start all over.

Over the last few months, I realized a few things: direction isn't something I can force myself into finding. I kept pressuring myself to figure it out, but somehow I just...discovered it. Or perhaps re-discovered is more appropriate. Maybe I'm lucky that way.

I think quite a few people pick a path simply because they feel like it's time to do so. (Ahh, the infamous quarter-life crisis.) It's the idea that we're too old to be indecisive. But I think this may doom one to a life of unhappiness, full of stability but bereft of meaning and of passion.

I don't know what my point is. It's one of my feeling-profound moments. Haha. Of course, I'm not one to advocate a life of fleeting passions. But I do sincerely hope that all the people I love will find their vision--one that has the power to illuminate their every-days; one that allows them to overcome their fears; one that makes them think that, somehow, life makes sense.