When Bubbles Burst

We were children

When we were children, all adults around us tried their best to protect us from being hurt by the world – they wrapped us with thick blankets when it got cold, swapped mosquitoes when they started hovering around us, carried us when the path got long and rugged, covered our eyes or ears when we encountered something unpleasant. Somehow, we became sheltered by their protection and were shielded from the world’s forces.

As children, adults also tried their best to teach us about etiquette and manners and on how to view things in a certain perspective. They taught us that it’s bad to lie and that it’s bad to hurt other people. They taught us to say “please” during every request and “thank you” when something was given to or done for us. They taught us that bad people go to jail and good people go to heaven. They taught us a lot of things and, as children, we did believe them and the lessons they shared. As children, they made us see the world through colourful and wonderful lenses.

In a way, we, as innocent little people, were indeed put inside a bubble.

And we grew older

However, as we grow up and as we slowly learn the survival techniques we needed to eventually live our daily life, we realize that we are actually really bound to be independent. Bit-by-bit, we learned to run and jump, spell our words, construct and read our sentences, solve math equations, make friends, and make decisions on our own.

Then, as we grow older, we tend to come across or go through situations where people die, not only through natural death, but because they were raped, murdered, or they met an untimely accident. We hear or become part of stories where people lie and people steal as if lying and stealing were the norm, as if getting more than a person’s rightful share was the status quo. We slowly learn that there are a lot of questions that cannot only be answered by a simple “yes” or “no” – that some answers need little alibis to escape or prove accusations. We then learn that friends or lovers who have been together for the longest time can still cheat on each other. As we grow older, we slowly see ourselves slowly being immersed to what those adults call “the harsh realities of life”.

And then the precious little bubble which wraps us begins to burst.

The Inner Bubble

And when that bubble starts to burst, we feel shaken, as if everything that we believed in when we were children were all b******t. The world begins to seem hazy and we start to ask a lot of questions wherein most of the time we just get disappointed for not finding the right answers. We begin to become undecided if we should stand on our toes or if we should take the fall. Suddenly, a thin line appears before our feet and sometimes it gets too confusing which side will make you, or the world, better or worse. We even start to question the authenticity of our decisions, or even our feelings.

Then we realize that it is in times like these, when harsh realities strike us in the face, that we begin to see the inner bubble that we have – our core values. What are the moral beliefs that we hold dear the most? Is it honesty, equality, courage?

Perhaps, the reason why we are afraid and why we are shaken is because it is our core values which are being put to test. The core values that make up who we are – the values we own that makes the core of our being. These may be the values shared and taught to us by the adults who protected us when we were young.

And because our inner bubble lies within us, it also only ourselves who can decide if we would hold on or let go of our beliefs. Even though the world pushes us to the edge, makes us stand on our toes, or deceives us in crossing the line, we still hold the decision if we’ll let the world burst this inner bubble or hold it more closely to our self.




*Thank you Fr. Pat for helping me see my Inner Bubble.*