To live or to survive is fundamentally, the very foundation of our evolution and existence.
If there be any purpose to life, any meaning to existence, don’t just devote your life to finding it but rather living it.
Life is all about our survival. It is a struggle, a daily battle and we are at war with everything, with self, with meaning, with purpose, with our pursuits. We spend most of our lives learning how to survive this harsh reality and to make something real out of it. It’s become simply a game of survival, the survival of the fittest as many would put it. This Darwinian principle is the certain truth most people work with daily and this belief keeps you on your toes, keeps you running until you pass out in exhaustion. Keeps you grinding away with no satisfaction and no peace, just the constant feeling of being ill-used and worn out. So what is life? Is it enough to just survive, or are we meant for greater things? To perhaps live meaningful, rewarding lives with reality and purpose?
Life has always been an uphill struggle but there are many ways in which we can change our situations, as life is full of possibilities. Traditionally, this has been about going to school, getting a degree, a good paying job, then marriage, starting a family, growing old and then ending up 6 feet under. It seemed like a valid, laid out path and we were just supposed to tread it, no questions asked. There was nothing more on offer! Well I am exhausted of this tread-mill and I need a way out. I want to live, to truly live and not just exist and I want to feel thankful that I lived and know in my heart I made a positive impact in the time I had.
Life is short! These are words of wisdom and an incisive insight to our mortality. Picture a man rushing through life from one calamity to the next, like a plate-spinning act on stage. Not really living, just trying to survive life and the daily grind. Time can be a torment if we know our life will be short and there are millions of people around the world that have terminal illnesses and have a finite allotment of time left. This should be a constant reminder to the rest of society just how limited each span of life is. If life is so short, what is the point of trying to achieve, to acquire, to enjoy everything, only to be plucked out of existence in a short while, leaving everything behind? If this is life, then it is surely pointless and it would be better to remain the unborn child. So I wonder is life is truly so short, or is this a skewed perception?
Life is defined by its quality, not necessarily by its span. The length of time a man’s lives does not define him but rather the impact that he makes while he lives. A life well-lived should not be measured in length but in the positive impact it has had on others. And if life holds any real meaning, it is perhaps in a life of impact. You are to live life not just survive it, we humans have come much further than that. To only survive, is to be a prisoner of and a slave to your circumstance and you will waste your life trying to outlive the consequences. But we are not prisoners! Our lives were given to us to live them to their fullest and to make meaning of our existence. So live!
Our lives are bound by impact. That is what it means to live; to touch lives and give them hope. To create touches of impact that live beyond the frame of our existence, that change other lives and give hope. A life wrought from action delivers impact and ultimately, the length won’t matter, as only the positive impact you made will be remembered. Life offers us the opportunity to learn and to live, the decision is ours whether we want to live or just survive. So learn and devote your life to creating impact in everything you do, impact that will inspire and change lives forever.
Never walk in the vacuum of non-existence. Our lives are more beautiful when we touch the lives of others. The world was made for us all to enjoy and explore and our differences make that life far more beautiful and full of value. If we were all the same, this world would be a less beautiful place and we should respect each other’s differences and cultures and rejoice for their existence. We are all here together on this planet, not by coincidence but by providence and our world would be a far more peaceful world, if we all positively impacted our world. A life of impact is one to truly strive for and one to devote every inch of your existence to. Life may not be perfect but it’s what we have, and we can change what we do, so that we impact the lives of others. We all face challenges and have our own problems in life, but among these we must find the harmless path, to give more meaning, love and joy to our lives, so that we in turn, inspire others to have the courage to live more joyfully and more meaningful lives. So stand and embrace life more firmly than ever before and lay aside every thought of survival. Live and make a real difference to the people around you and in your community and ultimately, be thankful that you lived.
Comments