Life is not short, is poorly spent.
How much life are we putting in our time?
It’s a common misconception that life is short. Only by understanding this can we make the most of our time. The first step is to recognize that life is not a race. There are no points for coming first. What matters most is what we do with our time. Too often, we waste our time on things that don’t matter. We waste our time on activities that we don’t enjoy or that are not productive, as a matter of fact, we end up with a life life that is less than ideal.
The moments when you’re sitting at the computer, and you know that if you don’t get off this site, you will not be productive at all. It’s a vicious cycle, and it sucks. I start wandering from topic to topic, reading a myriad of exciting things, but in the end, what did I learn from it? A lot of stuff. But what uses is this vast amount of information if I cannot put it into practice? I realized that I am not a man who can write about anything and everything with no expectations of any kind. I am practicing this very much desired selflessness. Most of us do something expecting a comment or some appreciation or whatever interaction. We do expect this, subconsciously, we do, even if we deny this to ourselves. But indifference would also feel quite weird. As human beings, we want to move each other and inspire each other.
Many do not set themselves any precise goal. Only indefinite, inconsistent, or by force driven from survival instinct, “ I need to find a job to get money to eat.” Fair enough, but what then? They throw themselves from opinion to opinion, with no particular aim (or go there, where the money takes them). They will be surprised by the destiny created like Russian roulette ; they didn’t know they participated. Time, not life, occupies all the remaining space.
We do not have a short life, but we tend to waste a significant part of it. Mother nature gave us the freedom to engage in essential activities if we spend life wisely. A true artist doesn’t care about the consequences of his art. When it passes away amid luxury and carelessness, when no good thing is dedicated to anyone, and death presses in on us at the end, we realize that life has passed us by without warning.
It is true: we do not inherit a short life; we create it, and we are not poor as a result of it, but squanderers.
Life is like a precious asset. When it happens to fall into the hands of a bad investor, it gets destroyed in a moment. If we give it to a professional and ethical investor, they let it grow with their use, extending the period of existence.
I find fascinating Aristotle’s bitterness in his reflection on nature:
“So much of that time allowed to animals that they live five or ten generations each, while man, born for such many and vital reasons, comes to an early end.”
As I understand this, an animal follows its being, nature, and essence to the full. It doesn’t ask if it is doing the right thing because it does what it is meant to do. An animal expresses itself 100%. What if we did the same thing?
Above all, the occasions we reflect about life are when we experience a natural disaster, a disease, or when we are too old to go back to recover our undone. If we reflect about it, nature almost always acts in a reasonable manner. Thus our chances are high that we will have a long life.
If we know how to use our time wisely, we will have a long, most important, intense life. Some people have the desire to fight others who are considerate. Some drown themselves in alcohol, indulge in laziness, are driven by ambition, or depend on the judgment of others. Those whose insatiable urge to bargain push them wherever in the hopes of making a profit, like people who would sue anyone for personal gain.
As mortals, we fear everything, and as immortals, we desire everything. We say: “From the age of x, I will retire,” “ from the age of x, I will resign from public service.” And, in the end, who will be our insurer of a long enough life? Who will guarantee that these projects will go as planned? Aren’t we ashamed of reserving the remnants of life for ourselves and allocating them to our intellectual peace only when our bodies are decaying?
In that case, we should stop and think: How late is it to begin to live?.
Our stupid disregard for mortality puts us off worthwhile ambitions until one’s sixtieth or so year of life. A life stage where we can’t physically enjoy our complete application of passion. Lucky the ones who do.
I still have difficulties letting this sink in:
In conclusion, life is short. We should all do what we want. Don’t wait for the perfect time or circumstances because they may never come. Start now and take the necessary steps to achieve your dreams. You may not get a second chance.
