Secondism - The Notion in Motion

The race is still on. He knows if he looks back, he’ll lose precious time; anyway, it would be pointless to look back, he is confident he lost those behind him by far now. He prefers to stay focused on the road ahead. There is a long way to go, his sight is always in front, but still, the trace of the First is also lost; there are no signs of him, not even his shadow, nothing. He turns his head down, while he steadily continues. Time passes by; the world, his world, passes quickly in images which get blurred as they come closer to his eyes, and then pass him by, stored in his past.

He is feeling heavier; slowly his body is giving up. A voice awakens inside him and is non-stop telling him to stop. He can’t silence the voice. It’s one of those annoying things out of his control. He wonders how the First managed to go so fast, why he can’t compete with him; he questions himself, he questions his powers, the time he spent to prepare; all of these are now wasted. He has the choice, to stop running and cease the agonizing struggle, anyway the title is lost, he thinks. He is starting to realize that this is more difficult that he initially thought, but in the course of his failure he admits he expected this. Why am I doing this, the Second asks himself, since I knew a first place is impossible?

Secondism lives in any kind of life, of a life that aims to fulfill its purpose. It is the alpha and omega of the soul that fights for its survival, its existence; a never ending fight for its purpose. The purpose is obvious, but is it achievable? The second’s truth is ignorance; or is he lying to himself? Lies can be an easier approach for those that are in denial of their reality. The second is in control of his ignorance, as the timing of the final outcome of his mission is out of his control.

Why secondism? Why not being always first? Or at least just once to get that overwhelming breathe at the highest end; the fight does not stop there, it’s a never ending game, never self-sufficient, never satisfied until the ultimate goal. Secondism is the power that transforms the sense of giving up into willingness and desire to succeed. Whether secondism can be defined by words, that would not be easy. If it was a word to be described, it could simply be explained in static form as that of not being first; but, eventually, who is first? And then, who is second?

Secondism is to leave the life behind, a motionless and limited life, a life of following those who never felt the need to follow but only to be followed. A life pointed by chained restraints and unaltered emotions; unbreakable rocks hiding the sun, the air and the sea, the sources of life. Like a newborn, the second relinquishes the limitless ends of new challenges. At the sudden of a wake up, all those images buried in darkness come alive. The color of life compared to the color of blackness, which one would you chose?

Cognizant of status though, he recognizes the current [second] position, which however he does not accept. By not accepting does not mean rejecting. He denies any denial. It’s not always about winning. In fact, a loss counts significantly more in the drive to perfection. Regarding wins, it is the exact last moment before winning that matters. It is in that moment that the second understands the outcome, but goes on irrespective of the result. What matters most, what the second has learnt until that moment, and how the accumulated experiences guide him to take the next step, before the end. What’s in each outcome for the second?

The time comes to decide whether the race should be forgotten or to carry along in his memory. It’s just another loss, one of those losses already piled in the room of thoughts. It is in that room he mentally prepares for the next race. Whilst others keep records of their wins, he is on the other side, by keeping records of his failures. For him, this is most essential, as finally when the win comes, it will count the most against all those defeats, it will be written in large fonts, it will be permanent. But how can a win override such a big pile of losses? Losses are also permanent.

The goal is personal within each second soul, but common to all. The achievement of the purpose! How is this achievement measured and defined in secondism? Secondism’s goal is about seeking the second within. Second’s goal is about seeking the secondism within. Second is the one that exhibits all characteristics of secondism. Secondism is the hidden power that governs the actions and the attitude of the second.

As a starting point, let’s absorb these questioning thoughts. Let’s feed our mind with a purpose. Let’s build secondism within each action and decision that is to be taken. Let’s seek for the second. Secondism is not something new. It has always been there; part of me, part of you.