Positive Effect of Separation on an Individual’s Life

Separation has been perceived as being this negative thing in our life which causes us to be sad, sorrowful, depressed. When in reality, it can both be good or bad. Sometimes, separation can be caused by moving to another part of the world or through personal/relationship impact in your life. On the other hand, separation can be good; it can open you up to so many things you didn’t know existed. It gives you the freedom you never had or you never got the chance to explore it. The poem “Perpetual Motion” by Tony Hoagland explores the idea of how separation impacts an individual’s life in a positive way.

Tony Hoagland expresses how isolating yourself from the world can cause you to see your surroundings completely differently through travelling. You wake up every day, get ready, eat breakfast, go to school/work, come home, finish homework, eat dinner, and go to bed. You do these things everyday as if you are a machine. A repetitive cycle with no fun. Even just for one day you separate yourself from your everyday activities and have the time to enjoy the joyfulness and beautiful things the world has to offer. Separating can also help you reflect on things, yourself or if you are having problems in your day to day life. It can make you forget or pursue a different way to tackle your complications. Separation can help you clear your mind of the negative things you are experiencing in your everyday life whether at work, school or with people. These days people tend to forget that they are humans too and they also have a life. They should take some time off and go far away from home and have the time to reflect on yourself, your actions, learn new things or pursue a different way of thinking or see what's there that you have missed or never tend to realize because of you being busy with your day to day life.

We are so busy with our regular life that we forget to realize the artistry hidden in small little things. In the poem “Perpetual Motion” Hoagland talks about how he tries to escape his life, his friends, his loved ones, his now. And instead befriends the highway. A new path. This new path looks enticing, sexy like a girl with comfortable, air-conditioned arms. Phone booths which can be used to call his friends now appear like jewelry, present not for the sake of connecting with the old loved ones, but as show pieces merely present to decorate the new enticements. Sometimes, separating yourself from the distractions can make you see the smaller things as if they hold a bigger meaning than being this irrelevant thing you never noticed. Travelling is one of the great ways to separate yourself and most possibly find out who you are or what type of person you are.

To separate yourself from toxicity in a positive way is that you can go travelling. It’s one of the best ways to separate yourself even just for one day. It opens your eyes to so many things you never realized existed. Travelling can clear and give you an open mindset with so many positive thoughts surrounding you. It can get a person out of their comfort zone, away from their ordinary pleasures and comforts and way of doing things. This forces you to be adventurous, to live life to the fullest, to make the most of this precious gift and use the time you have to discover new things, and meet new people. You can use this time to reflect on your actions, your future goals, your problems that you're facing and come up with solutions or possibilities as to how you want to face them. Altogether, travelling is really something that can open your mind and give you another reason to enjoy life and have some little fun.

All in all, separation can be a good thing in your life. Yes, it can be a bad thing in an individual’s life but you never know what it can offer you. In Tony Hoagland’s poem “Perpetual Motion” is a good example of how separation is a good thing while travelling. You see things in a different perspective, you realize the beauty in the littlest things etc. Travelling is a great way to tackle your ordinary life and go live a little or find your true self, the person who you really are meant to be.