Fragility of Life
What differentiates life from death?
When we look at the dictionary definitions of life and death, we realize that life is nothing but a state of living in which one feels and emotes. Life is loud and aggressive in its existence.
Death, on the other hand, is nothing but the absence of life; it is the end of life, a condition of complete stillness.
Although life and death lie on opposite ends of the spectrum, the one-directional transition from life to death takes just a few seconds. In seconds, something that was once breathing and moving becomes inanimate and so quickly loses its living characteristics and becomes lifeless.
The fragility of life screams at us every second, begging us to pay attention and recognize our collective insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
So, why do we take ourselves so seriously? When we are nothing but earth, just waiting to go back to our original form. “Dust thou art, to dust returnest;” You are dust, and you shall return to dust again.
Nothing in this world is guaranteed, especially life. When you think you have your entire life planned out for you, some unforeseen tragedy strikes, making you realise that control is nothing but an illusion, a mirage.
In actuality, you have zero control over things. Man, in general, craves power. We believe we have command over the cosmos while failing to realise that we don’t even have control over our lives. One moment you could be on your way to see a friend, and in the next second you could be in an accident battling to live. So the concept of control is nothing but a myth.
Everyone has, at some point in their life, experienced the sudden loss of a loved one, and that’s when you truly understand how very unpredictable and grim life is. Ironically, the only absolute certainty in life is that it will end with death, and at that point, you will have a deeper appreciation for what truly matters.
Time is limited, and our purpose in life should be to appreciate each day, to count each morning that we wake up as a blessing, and to be grateful for being given an additional day to live.
Let’s be grateful for every breath we receive because somewhere in this world, there is a person on a ventilator fighting for the ability to breathe on their own again.
We need to worry less and stop overanalyzing things. Do the things that we have always wanted to do and do not procrastinate, as we can’t really afford to procrastinate. And always remember what Mark Twain had to say: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.”
Enjoy the little things in life while still trying to strive for greatness. Think of yourself as a valued individual, but don’t become pompous or take yourselves too seriously.
Never doubt your ability to achieve greatness, but even if you are unable to for some reason, don’t fret or overburden yourself. Remember always that life is short, and our goal should only be to add value to it and make the journey worthwhile.
Spend time with the people you cherish, your family and friends, and create as many memories as possible so that you will remain alive in their memories even after you are long gone.
Having said this and having made clear how delicate life is, I will leave you with this thought: “Do not be frightened of death; do not let your fear of it force you to die every day.” Learn how to conquer your fears and employ them as a tool to help you make wise life decisions and enjoy the unpredictable journey that is life.
