“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”
- Nelson Mandela
Who wants to live forever?
For starters, I am not quoting a Queen song, that is a guarantee. As much as I enjoyed the first time I heard it, and even if it does connect to the topic behind this article, it is something mankind has aspired for during most of its existence. After all, who never thought of the possibility of being immortal? Of never having to fear death?
As a kid, this was something that I would often think of. Not having to worry about death knocking on your door. Never losing anyone in this life. Always knowing you have enough time to do everything you have always dreamed of. There is not much that could outrank such a feeling. The feeling of being on top of the world for so long without ever thinking of falling. Even if you did, there would be no rush in getting back up. At least, that is how it all seemed almost fifteen years ago. It is amazing how certain events in our lives, combined with a shift in perspective and philosophy, can do wonders to our expectations in life.
Understanding the fragility of life can make it difficult to perceive the ups and downs that lie ahead of us, particularly when we are faced with adversity in such an abrupt way. In some scenarios, this can increase the wish of wanting to live forever, in a world where death is an unknown term. Whereas other people can interpret it all as part of seeing life for the beauty that it holds in front of us. Because it is limited in time and does not provide room to slow down too much, humans can develop this willingness to make the most of every moment. It is quite similar to the concept of scarcity in economics: the more rare an item is, the more valuable it becomes. How can we appreciate the importance and beauty of things if we have them in abundance? It is almost like comparing a random watch to the one on your wrist since you were ten years old. The one on your wrist is more precious and has increased value in your eyes because someone gifted it to you. It is now unique in your eyes and its value could be perceived as priceless. It is the same perception with life. If you ever lose that watch, you would be devastated. Sure, you can replace it with another one, yet it would not have the same value in your eyes, for it is not the function of the watch that mattered to you, but what it represented.
“A life of letting go is always hard to choose
Cause learning how to love is learning how to lose”
- Learning How To Lose by Shawn McDonald
Another way of understanding the fragility of life is by how it is limited in time. Every beginning has an end, and the knowledge that everything must come to an end increases the importance it has. This limited time we have makes it more precious because we know that nothing should be taken for granted now, otherwise we will never be able to fully enjoy it. Being a huge football fan who enjoys playing the game so much, the fact that those games do not go on forever is what makes the game even more beautiful. A never ending football game would be dull and boring, since there is no competition and always time to make a comeback. However, once a limit is set, the entire perspective changes and therefore we want to make the most of it. The same can be said about life. We would lose such a strong drive to make things happen if we know that time does not matter.
The same can be said about relationships, whether it involves our friends, our partners or our families. As painful as that is, it is the idea that they will not be around forever that motivates us to try and spend as much time as we can with them. We want to create more memories with them, so that we never forget them and when things go south between us and tensions arise, we can always remind ourselves of those great times in order to adjust the course of our relationships.
Although science says that it is impossible to live forever – at least for now , there is a way to do so today. As a matter of fact, several people have found the key to living forever, regardless of what one believes in since it has nothing to do with religion. You know, they say that we die twice: once when we take our last breath, and once we cross someone’s mind for the last time. The first death is inevitable, but the second one has been overcome time and time again. It is important to remember that the ones we care about live on in our memories. It can range from people who were very close to us, to famous celebrities who have marked our lives through their works.
I can mainly think of music artists whose music has inspired people and given them a source of hope in this tough world. A moment of comfort in the middle of the chaos. May it be Avicii, Chester Bennington, Freddie Mercury, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and many more. It does not matter how long ago they died, since they live on in the memories of those who keep on enjoying their artistic contributions to this world.
Nobody gets to live forever.
Yet the things we do will.
It does not matter how long we live, rather how well we live.
“Après tout, la voix se perd mais les mots sont vivants.”
– Beau Malheur by Emmanuel Moire
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