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Yes, someday you will die.
Not to mention, you’ll be dead waaaay longer than you were alive. Like, an eternity versus 70 to 80 years.
Yes, this is a motivational article. Stay with me here.
When it comes to death, I ask, “So what?”
Yes, eventually the sun will swallow the Earth, as Gary Johnson politely reminded us during his entertaining 2016 bid for the presidency.
Heck, if the sun doesn’t kill the human race (in the event we finally migrate off this rock), the eventual heat death of the universe will.
So what? Big deal.
How can I be so cavalier about our seemingly inevitable extinction? Because I live in the present. And so can you.
Right now, you and I still exist. The Earth still exists. And unlike any other species that has ever walked, slithered, swam, or flown on this planet (except maybe dolphins), we can contemplate our own existence, including the end of it. And that’s a wonderful gift.
Yes, death is a gift. It can be a great motivational tool if we let it.
You are blessed with self-awareness. This allows you to choose, right now, to make a positive difference in this life despite the inescapable fact of your inevitable demise. That is part of the beautiful paradox of humanity: our lifespans are a blip on the cosmic timeframe, but our awareness of that makes us capable of great things.
Don’t let fear of death turn you into a nihilist. If we make peace with our mortality, it frees us to pursue and achieve incredible accomplishments.
Self-awareness can indeed be beautiful … as long as you’re not squandering it.
You’ve Already Won the Lottery
You’ve already beaten the longest odds ever, just by being alive.
To paraphrase Les Brown, you beat 400 million other sperm to be here.
Beating those odds is nothing short of miraculous. What are you doing to be worthy of that miracle?
Yes, I said it: you’re a miracle. A unique little snowflake. But I’m not saying that as some sort of kumbaya fluff. This is empirical, scientific fact: the odds that were overcome for you to exist were astronomical.
It doesn’t matter how you believe you got here, whether by evolutionary randomness or divine creation. You’re a friggin’ miracle. Accept this fact, then honor your miraculous existence by doing something to make the world even just a little bit better.
Look, I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything. Even the smallest contribution to the betterment of the world makes you worthy of the miracle of life. Here’s some good news: you get to decide what your contribution is, and the size of it. There is no act of service to humanity that is too small.
Note: I want you to remember that our world contains both pain and beauty (contrary to how the media makes things seem exclusively horrible). This means it’s very exciting to be here!
Yes, this planet can be chaotic and deadly, and the people sometimes despicable. But you know that’s not all there is to our existence. Your lizard brain is biased toward negativity. Your higher mind lets you see the beauty. It’s up to you to recognize, and celebrate, the difference. What’s your focus going to be in the equation?
Still don’t believe the human race has redeeming qualities? Too bad, good things will continue to happen whether you believe in them or not. Why not accept that the world can also be wonderful, and do something to contribute to that wonder?
What’s Your Porpoise Purpose?
(All apologies to the dolphins…)
It doesn’t matter how you think we came to be: the random chance of evolution, God, aliens, whatever. Because no matter why we exist, that doesn’t change the fact that we are indeed here. And for too long, we’ve been asking the wrong question.
We need to stop asking “what’s the meaning of life?” The question really is, “what meaning am I making for my life?”
Are you making your own meaning? If you’re not deciding what makes life meaningful for you, then I suggest you get started. Once you own that power, no one else can take it from you.
You have free will, folks. You get to decide your life’s purpose. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you why you’re here.
Stand Up and Defy Oblivion
It’s you versus entropy in the ultimate battle! You can stand up to your inevitable oblivion by choosing to live with positive purpose and deciding that you matter. In this way, you can defy death.
I don’t care if you do it just to be spiteful, try it out! Doesn’t it give you a thrill to know that despite being a relative speck in the cosmic immensity, you can declare to the vast universe that your short existence has meaning because you say so?
While you are here, do something that matters. Stand for something that supports humanity. Rise above the petty squabbles of gang mentality that demand we think less of other people. As Horace Mann said, “be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”
Tell the end of all things that it hasn’t claimed your life yet. And while you’re here, you’re going to make a difference, no matter how big or small.
You’re a conscious being, existing here and now on an oasis of life in an ocean of infinite black just beyond the thin layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Never forget the incredible nature of that fact!
So, I’m begging you, stop living as if you have ten thousand years.
You’re a friggin’ miracle. If anyone tries to convince you otherwise, just remember to say two words to them: “sperm lottery.” That should shut down any argument.
Life is temporary. But a heroic legend you create for yourself while you are alive can last well beyond your own existence. And even though you may be forgotten well before the universe dies, the important thing is that you were here and made the most of it.
Now, get out there, live your life well, and shake a defiant fist at oblivion!
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A version of this article was originally published at Live The Hero.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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Anthony, thanks for the encouraging article. It goes along with what I’ve been saying. If we take an honest look at the state of the world, we have to recognize we are living in a way that is unsustainable and must change if we are going to survive. But we will also recognize that this is the time we came into this world to address. This calls for the best in us and those who are ready will step up to the challenge. Check out Terry Patten’s challenge to humanity. https://www.terrypatten.com/a-new-republic-of-the-heart/