Final Fantasy is an awesome game. The storytelling is great. The characters are memorable. And I look forward to the new remake of Final Fantasy 7 for the Playstation 4.
One of the best parts of the game is the musical soundtrack.
I still find myself listening to the wistful style whenever I need a break from work. Some good songs that come to mind include The People of the North Pole, Melodies of Life, To Zanarkand, and much more!
The music can whisk you off to a far-away land with beautiful waterfalls and broad grassy fields. With exotic animals and glorious sunsets. The soundtrack makes me dream of big things to come. A future where all promises and dreams become realized.
It’s hard to explain with mere words, but Final Fantasy is still one of my all-time favorite game series. And when I was at Cornell, I’d listen to their music quite often.
I remembered back then in the early 2000s, everyone at college still had AOL instant messenger (AIM). And I don’t know why but during freshman year, I’d write in my profile that I needed “peace of mind”.
I wasn’t truly aware of what peace of mind meant. I just wrote it because it felt like I was chasing something that I didn’t have.
In college, it feels like that’s what most people are doing. Trying to be something that they are not yet. Trying to achieve different goals and make something out of themselves.
Trying to earn that good grade. Achieve that degree. Attain a successful career. And all this chasing for more, trying to find that elusive purpose of “why” could get draining at times.
I often times found myself pondering about what life could be. How will I end up in four years time upon graduation? What am I missing to make my life whole?
And that’s probably why I found myself writing down the need for “peace of mind” on my profile back in 2002. I was dreaming about some promised land like in Final Fantasy.
A place and time where everything will be truly fulfilled. A time where I’d make something out of myself. I’d become the man that I was born to be. That it’ll all work out in the end.
A place where I can walk amongst the clouds, enjoy beautiful sunsets, and live a life of purpose together with the girl of my dreams. Just like in those multitude of Final Fantasy games.
Yet, all this wistful thinking indirectly assumes that what I have right then at that time in college was not enough. So, in a sense, maybe that feeling of insufficiency fostered some insecurity.
This is why I don’t envy students. There’s that need to continuously chase and attain. And though that can be admittedly exciting at times, sometimes it can get very tiresome.
College can be the “4 happiest years of your life” as many elders would like to remind you. And yes, I’ve had numerous cherished memories. But, it can also be quite frustrating during other levels.
There’s nothing wrong with chasing after a dream and aiming for unfulfilled goals. But when that mindset is taken to the extreme, it makes us appreciate less the things we have in the present moment.
We are forever chasing after that Final Fantasy. Something in the future. Or a wistful construct of how things should be like. And we don’t take a small step back to see that we already have a lot right now.
Everything that we need in this moment we already have. It may not be perfect at times, but what is?
Throughout these years, I’ve learned that peace of mind is not something to achieve. And there’s no need to grasp for it, and then cling to it. It’s just something that is already there, but we aren’t necessarily aware of.
It comes to life when we practice acceptance, gratitude, and simply change our perspective. When we practice these tidbits, that sense of peace and security will naturally rise up and we can then feel that what we have in this moment is more than enough.
But again, if you want more, there’s nothing wrong with going for it. Just realize that peace of mind is not something that you want to have. It’s not something that you need. It’s something that you’ve already got.
Just take a step back to smell the roses around you once in awhile, and peace in life will naturally come be with you. You are already living that Final Fantasy.