Bumbling Around
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AN ESSAY BY CHRISTOPHE CHAISSON
Honeybees are perhaps the most beneficial and enchanting insects that grace the planet with their sweetness. One of the most beautiful, thought provoking characteristics of these tiny, efficient workers is their sense of purpose and belonging. The Hive is a vital aspect of not only their survival but a key component to the very essence of their being.
In this regard, I am filled with envy matched with pity for the bees. As a twenty year old, who has lived a life not aligning to the manual society gave me, a sense of belonging is an earnest desire of my heart. Sense is actually too weak of a word to use to describe the deep ache inside of me that cries out to belong. I want to live in a state of belonging with a hive of my people toiling day and night towards a united goal. Not a specific goal, but one of love, hope, and acceptance. Unlike the bees, who seamlessly harmonize and know their specific purpose, me and so many others have had to wrestle and search for our purpose, place and identity.
Yet, that wrestle is where my pity for the bees resides. Never in their lives do they have to question what they are doing or who they are. There is no choice, simply instinct. In the midst of the struggle is where I have discovered unimaginable beauty and community through the questions and pain. Not once was I the only lone vagabond embarked on a journey of discovery, I met others along the way. Not one story or person was identical, still compassion, connection, and empathy abounded binding us together. My identity is unique solely to me; my purpose is not clear-cut ingrained on the forefront of my mind, instead Life has presented me with an option to chose what gives me purpose. I can chose money, status, sports, followers, materialism, anything either positive or negative as the fuel that runs my life. What I have found fills me with purpose is The Hive that I went out and discovered. They also discovered me and chose me. Community that chooses to know me, embrace me, and challenge me are the ones who I call my Hive. At the end of day we are all just bumbling around together trying to make the world a sweeter, more fragrant place.
