Joseph Grijalva Section 5
The Roller Coaster of Life
Like good ideas, the inspiration for this song/poem came to me as I was taking a shower. Despite the fact that I have always been afraid of roller coasters, the metaphor seems to be well suited even for me. When we ride a roller coaster the first time, every turn and dip is a surprise, even though we have seen the track before getting onto the ride. The same occurs with life. Even though we have parents, older siblings, and relatives to tell us about the dangers and problems in life, we are still never fully prepared to “take the plunge.” Also, in life, we cannot simply get off the ride and get back in line to try again. We have to do are best to do things right the first time.
Another part of my poem that I find to be significant is the line that says, “you are strapped to your seat, and you can’t get off no because the hill’s to steep”. Once we have started down the road of life, we cannot get off. We are strapped to our seats in the sense that our souls are constrained to our physical bodies. The only final release comes after we die. However, I don’t believe that we should hasten ourselves towards death. We need to remember that the car will eventually come of the zenith of the hill, even if it is a long time in getting there. If we persist in trying to attain our goals, it is highly likely that we will achieve them. Even if we don’t we have not harmed ourselves by trying.
I like to think of life as a roller coaster because it puts life into an exciting form. Though a roller coaster may have frighteningly steep drops and fast turns, it always stays on course. In an ideal world life would work this way. We would retain all of the excitement and surprises that exist now, but always find ourselves in a safe and good place when the ride is over.