Frailty of Life

At some point(s) in your life, you may have stopped to think about life itself.

What is life? What is the purpose of life? Why do I have a life? What do I want my life to be like?

These are probably just a few of the most commonly asked questions people ask themselves about life. But have you considered how incredibly fragile life could be? A life is a gift, a miracle; but it can also be taken away at any moment, without any warning. That which makes life so precious, is its fleetingness and frailty.

Most people go through a certain routine day in and day out, without really noticing what they are doing. Sometimes, they may seem to awaken from a deep slumber and come to a realisation that a certain amount of time has passed, yet they feel like they haven’t accomplished anything, or that they have somehow misplaced their purpose in life due to life itself’s hustle and bustle.

The next question is, do you really want to live your life automatically, or by default? Do you know what you are living for? Some get answers and make changes if they are not satisfied with their current lifestyles. Some don’t get answers and continue to live a life of basic existence anyway, sometimes fantasising about a “better life”, sometimes getting so unhappy that they fall into depression or worse. And some, some don’t get a chance to ponder, decide, or change, all because their lives were lost.

What would you do if you found out that you only had a year to live? A month? A week? A day? How much differently would you live your life then? The idea of imminent death throws so much light on a perspective of life we rarely see: that life could be taken away from us anytime. We never know when death approaches. We’ve just taken life for granted and assume that we’d always have a tomorrow, and tomorrow has become our favourite citation for our unfinished goals today.

This is how to live your life. You live it as though you were on the verge of death, because you are.

– Michael A. Singer

There might not be a tomorrow. You might not reach your destination when you next get into your car. You might perish in a fire in a high-rise building at work. The possibilities of death swooping down upon you and claiming your life are endless. So stop saying “tomorrow”. Find out what matters to you the most. Laugh more. Learn more. Love more. Explore your passion. Develop new skills. Take risks. Quit your job if you’re unhappy. Get a new job. Do things whole-heartedly. Tell people you love that you love them. Live a life that even if you happen to drop dead the next second, there will be no regrets.

Don’t wait, because there may not be a next time.