Contemplation

It's been a while since I last posted. I don't have anything definite to say right now, so let me leave you with a little something I wrote some months ago, something that I think still applies to me today.


Life is a tragedy, but not quite. You see, a tragedy focuses too much on the ending - that's how it's defined, after all. A tragedy equals a bad ending. And yet despite the fact that all existence comes down to the end is death, I somehow sense that that's not really the point. I may be an irrational hopeful who blinds himself to the inevitability of death (as I suspect the vast majority of people do), but I say it's better to be irrational than to live in despair and meaninglessness.

One sad truth is that most of the time, people live their lives on hold, suspended in time, promising themselves to live with purpose, fulfill their dreams, and make everything the way it should be, right after they get done slacking off or basically just doing nothing. At least, that's the way it is with me. Oftentimes, it takes a tragedy before people finally wake up from their respective fantasy worlds, whatever they may be. I don't know how or why this happens, but it definitely does, and I don't want it to come to that point.

So in a sense the awareness of death, of how fleeting a moment our present existence is, is what ironically impels the individual to make the most out of everyday life and treasure every experience. It is uncertain what the future may bring, and all we have is the here and now. The reality of death does bring despair, but beyond that it also carries the message that life is infinitely precious, that it is something to be savored to its fullest extent to give it justice.

And so, when the time comes when all has passed and there is nothing left but goodbye, I'll have only one thing to say: I hope you had the time of your life, and I hope I did too.