‘Living’ life

Living

I think sometimes we forget to live our lives.

Everyone gets carried away by the countless challenges of life, and amidst these difficulties, we forget what really matters to us.

In life, it’s important to identify things that really matter to you, and not just live our lives by things we ‘have’ to do to get by. Because if you’re trying to move forward in life, you’re missing the whole point. Life is meant to be lived in the moment, and once you lose track of these moments you won’t realize when life passed you by.

Doing things to get by in life is something that we feel obligated to do. Things such as education, work, and chores are all things that undoubtedly have an important role in our lives, but they don’t shape our lives in the way that we are taught they do. What makes life worth it is the things we choose for ourselves, the joys that we experience firsthand and the moments we wish we were never ending. There is such a thing as overindulgence, but too many people talk about that. Everyone has something to say about how we should have restraint and be responsible but people rarely talk about how important it is to experience and enjoy life.

Misleading views

Because parties, friends, food, travelling are all signs of being spoilt and irresponsible, right? Wrong.

No one bothers to tell young people how life can be like bland cornflakes if you zap the fun out of it and replace it with things that are deemed the mark of a ‘good’ life. So, I’m not saying that having a college degree and a file full of certificates and awards isn’t remarkable, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And honestly, there are people who genuinely enjoy academics and there are also people who go through the system just ‘because’.

I’m not ridiculing all the systems we have in place, nor am I saying that our families and communities are intentionally misleading us. However, common conception plays a huge role in what is seen as morally right and morally wrong. So many fall prey to these ideas, and lose sight of where the fun of their life lies.

So no, life is not about getting by or getting ahead.

“Life is not a race.”

and even though many people use this quote, not nearly as many people live by it.

Balanced living

When I look back on my life I’d rather remember all the crazy things I did, all the stupid but fun moments and all the memories I made in the moments where I let go of moral disapproval.

Any extreme behaviour can’t possibly enrich your life, but just to avoid extremes we can’t make ourselves conservative, can we? Condemning the basic pleasures of life to take part in the rat race will leave you with nothing more than a life that you forgot to live.

So I think sometimes we forget to live life, and that sometimes we get by without living each moment. I think that societal expectations influence what we treat as right and wrong, but the only things of concern to us are the things that contribute to our life and make it easier, tolerable, and most importantly enjoyable. Looking back on your life ‘mundane’ is definitely not the word you want to use, is it?

Living by what you choose is one thing that’s in your hands in life.