You might have already thought a lot and talked about things surrounding your life and career, like – weighing the most favourable options available to you, determining the balance of work and life and even indulging in the rather inconclusive discussion of choosing between a career which allows to make you a good living or trying to pursue the exuberant yet less travelled path of passion.
The socially constructed unendingly repetitive cycle of work and play serves only to throw us off the possible path of a passionate and exhilarating life, by feeding us those temporary pills of joy and exciting that fill our weekends.
It is just an end to end process of seeking something that we find enjoyable and then falling back to something that is tedious and doesn’t give any joy.
This on and off transition from momentary happiness to prolonged dullness, is nothing but our indecisiveness, which has us bouncing between what we want to do and what we should be doing, which is often either because of some obligation, when we work to make a living or someone’s typically overbearing expectations.
The way we choose to live today
So, we live in the present moment, drowned by the daily objects, activities, people, attractions or distractions. All of which are basically things that serve the purpose of comforting us in that moment. The emphasis on the satisfaction obtained in the shortest amount of time blinds us to the long-term consequences of these small habits that pile up over time.
We never realize the full extent of the impact these small acts can have on us. It is only when the water rises to our neck, that we comprehend the significance of our actions and if they really amount to anything but harm. That is the extent to which we have numbed down- losing our sense and judgement and deprived of our vast energy reserves to lead a meaningful existence.
When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried in the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most now?
– Max Lucado
Death is a great leveler
All said and done, nothing of such sort will matter eventually. You see, death is a great leveler, a fair judge. It would not matter what and how much you have acquired your wealth, your achievements, your possessions. Those are the things that will only matter when you are alive, and only when you surround yourself by people that consider those things to be of value and more importantly if you choose to give them the value that lets them decide your worth, and then you will cling even harder onto them as if they were lifesaving safety hooks. This way you will live even lesser.
As I look at the human story I see two stories. They run parallel and never meet. One is of people who live, as they can or must, the events that arrive; the other is of people who live, as they intend, the events they create.
– Margaret Anderson
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