SOCIETY TOLD ME WHO TO BE: THE ROAD SHOWED ME WHO I AM!

A new day dawns. Again, I'm waking up feeling exhausted. As I lay in my bed, I scroll mindlessly through social media, feeling a sense of emptiness and looking to fulfil a deep void inside me. I continue to struggle to conform. Conform to Society's dictatorship, those invisible rules I'm meant to follow, as though life is some sort of grocery list. Once these rules are followed, you simply place a tick beside them and move to the next!

From the moment we are born, Society starts scripting the roles we should play. There are expectations, norms and rules, subtle and overt about who we should be. We attend school to be 'taught' how to think. We are 'taught' not to ask questions or to challenge anything. Whilst I am an educated person and recognise the importance and need for education, I am also conflicted by the rigid structure and lack of freedom that this offers. Then, at the end of the school day, we arrive home, to follow more rules, restrictions and regulations, imposed by our parents. Again, don't get me wrong I recognise the importance and need for this way of life, and yet I'm still conflicted with the need and want to live more freely, to live life by my rules.

Society dictates that we should be polite, ambitious, and successful, be just like everyone else. The world around us whispers, sometimes even shouts, directions on how we are to live, dress and act, sometimes even who we are to love.

But, what if the path that we are on, beyond Society's script is trying to tell us something else? What if the road that we travel in all of its twists, turns and bumps, is the true teacher of who we really are?

Society has a way of defining our identity for us - by race, class, gender, career or success. We absorb these identities, often unconsciously,  We try to fit ourselves into the moulds, created for us. Whilst these identities are not inherently bad, as they provide structure and belonging, they can also cage us, limit us or drown the unique voice inside.

The road, however, is different. It is personal. It doesn't care about Society's labels or expectations. It is raw, unpredictable and often uncomfortable. This description also defines myself! The road tests our resilience, forces us to make choices , identifying our strengths and weaknesses, in ways that Society never could. It is only when we step off the beaten path or stray from the expectations that we meet our true self, beneath all the layers of conditioning. We learn what truly matters to us, what breaks us, what heals us and what moves us forward.

The road reveals our passions and fears. It teaches us humility through failures and joy through small victories. It strips away the need for approval and helps us to build confidence in our own instincts.  On this journey we realise that we are not just who Society told us to be - we are the sum or our experiences, our dreams, our scars and our choices. The road shows us that identity is fluid, evolving and deeply personal. 

The tension between Society's expectations and our own path can be challenging, but it is also a space for real growth. The more we listen to the road and the lessons it offers, the more we understand that the freedom to be ourselves lies in embracing uncertainty and trusting our journey.

Whilst living on the road is not for everyone, it is for me. After constantly trying to conform and mould into Society's dictatorship of what the 'norm' is in living life, it has only left me feeling like i'm drowning from the endless stress and pressures this life presents. Having been raised on a large farm until the age of 18, the feeling of space and freedom is in my blood. I have never become used to or happy with town life. Having a limited sense of space and freedom, with neighbours outside your back door. Living in a concrete jungle (noted it's not city life, thank God!) where all the houses look the same!

SOCIETY'S WAY OF LIFE:

MY WAY OF LIFE:

Experiencing the daily grind, where one day just rolls into the next. Performing the same dasks daily, automatically. This to me, was suffocating. I felt lost and empty. I was under the illusion that you had to have 'a job' to 'pay the bills' and have that 'roof over your head.' But I knew that this way of life was me just existing and not really living. I wasn't experiencing life, nor was I getting any younger. Having to deal with this pressure, as well as living with chronic Bi Polar Disorder, I knew that if I didn't escape this way of living, I would continue to experience a void within. 

Just remember that how we live is a choice!

Ally of NickAlly Van Life

[https://nickallyvanlife.net]