Washed Ashore

Sitting on the shore, I see sinking ships and I wonder; 'Is it better to be a sinking ship than to be the vicarious observer.' Well, for now I will remain as an observer. 

Everyone around me seems to build themselves a ship and set sail into the ocean to reach their destinations. Some with very opulent ships, some with economic motorized ships and some have sailing ships. Others like me are ashore speculating what to do....

For the case of ships complete with all essential parts functioning: 

Some, generally in opulent or motorized ships, seem to not care for the ocean. Be it stormy, windy or clear skies, against all tides and current they set off without any second thoughts. Some of the motorized ships are better planned. They partially try and use the tides and other forces of nature to assist them. The sailing ships are generally the ones whose journeys are best planned. Every step they take is very carefully calculated to find the most efficient way to reach their destination. 

I see that some of the very opulent ships make it despite barging straight into the ocean all thanks to their state of the art technology. Most others who blindly barge in are not that fortunate. They encounter very rough sea and quickly learn to respect the ocean, or they suffer irreparable damages. The motorized ships which are well planned seem to do much better than their ill planned counterparts. But here too, sometimes nature's unpredictable forces put the ships to test. The sailing ships are at their best only when they go along with the ocean and not against it. If they are ever so slightly careless, nature's forces runs them around in circles. 

All this are for ships that have been completely built, but for most other cases, I see that people in a hurry set sail with incomplete ships. 

For the case of incomplete ships: 

Many times, not until the very last moment before experiencing nature's fury do people realize what their ships are lacking. Most common fault is that they forget to attach a rudder or carry a compass. Hence they are just pushed around aimlessly by the ocean. In other cases, the ships themselves are not built carefully; hence a little rough sea is enough to sink the ship. Some ships may start complete but due to misguided sailing they break their rudders or motors/sails during their journey. In all probability these ships sink. The owner sinks along with it or cries out for help.

As for me, I just sit ashore looking at other people washed ashore, who have failed to cross the ocean and wonder, 'Is it better to be a sinking ship than to be the vicarious observer.' But this time I take my chances and set sail on my sailing ship.

To make sense of what I see. Think of the ocean as life, the endless waves as time. The ships people set sail on are all the relationships and bonds we hold with our friends and enemies. The rough weather, tides and the current are the challenges we face in life. Opulent ships are ones where money defines most of the equations in life. Motorized ships are ones where opinions of the crowd, the time-tested options, define the equations in life. The sailing ships are ones where at every point the equations in life are dynamic. How people build their ships, how they use them as well as their method of dealing with the ocean defines their path and how far they reach.

It is no use to hurry and set off without a compass (without a destination) or a rudder (without a direction) or start off well but on the way damage your rudder (lose focus and motivation). It is of no use to contemplate about how good this shore is, compared to what lies beyond the ocean and hence decide to lead a vicarious life seeing other ships sink or swim. After all, the ocean exists for us to explore!