Throughout my life I’ve gravitated towards the broken, the desolate and the forsaken. There’s something about destruction that I’m attracted to - the tragedy, the history, the despair. In my twisted brain, I see romance in the ruins. Not just in physical ruins, but in the ruins of life. When things fall apart, they leave behind relics that are simultaneously haunting and beautiful. They’re what teach us about ourselves and who we want to be - they make us who we are.
Ruins tell a story. They’re the evidence of lives lived and times passed. They connect us with those who came before us, and they remind us that we are not alone and have never been alone. I wonder what they looked like. I wonder what they felt. I wonder what happened to them in the end. There’s so much mystery that surrounds the wreckage of the past - the same can be said about the wreckage of our lives.
We carry our personal ruins with us everywhere we go - the losses, the betrayals and the pain. We often keep them locked away in the deepest corners of our minds and hearts, but they are always there, whether we acknowledge them or not. Sometimes, we need to build a new foundation upon them. Sometimes, we just need to leave them be, but that’s not a bad thing. When ruins are left to their own devices, life continues to press on. Flowers grow, animals return to the land and the cycle of life begins anew. This is the way of the Earth, and this is the way of our minds. Although our ruins remain, they teem with new life and new hope. Losses become gifts, betrayals become lessons, and pain becomes our greatest teacher. This is the Dao, the Way of “all things under heaven”.
Take some time to reflect about the ruins in your own life. Maybe it was a bad break, maybe it was the wrong choice, maybe it was the one who got away, maybe it was the death of someone you loved. All of these things live within you, and will continue to do so for the remainder of your life. Gaze upon them and do not be afraid. Look at all the beautiful things that have grown out of each and every one of them. If you’re able, try to find gratitude - you wouldn’t be who you are today without them.
I’ll end with a beautiful quote by German playwright Friedrich Schiller:
“What’s old collapses, times change, and new life blossoms in the ruins.”