Isip: The Things Worth Living For

[Disclaimer: Sorry in advance for my unorganized thoughts. I’ll do my best to format them in the most cohesive way, but please try to keep up as they can be all over the place.]

Imagine being asked the question, “What are you willing to die for?”

What would come to mind? I think it’s pretty cliche, but it does make you think. And I believe it isn’t hard to come up with an answer.

People would risk their life for a lot of things. Think of the most important pieces in your life and chances are, you’ll get your answer. Your significant other. Your family. Your religion. Your friends. Your beliefs. These are some of the things we put enough value in to give our lives for.

But the other side of the coin, that, I guess, kind of runs parallel to the first question is, “What are you willing to live for?”

Dying is relatively easy to do, but to keep on living is the real challenge. It’s universally proclaimed that “life is tough/difficult/hard/whatever-adjective-fits.” So whatever keeps you living must be pretty important as well.

Dying is easy. Living is hard.

And I’m not talking about petty reasons like fear. You’re alive because you’re afraid of the unknown that is death? Really? If your sole reason to be alive is hinged on fear, then I hope you realize that there is more to life than the constant phobia of anything threatening your existence.

I’m talking about the things that wake you up in the morning and get you out of bed. What motivates you and what gives you a sense of purpose. These are a bit harder to determine, but a quick reflection on the things we are living for is beneficial.

Take my friend, Engelbert, he wakes up at 4am in the morning to commute for a couple of hours to his office where he sits in a cubicle the whole day, only to endure the same grueling commute back home. He does this 6 days a week and sometimes even works during holidays. Sounds sad, but Engelbert is willing to go through his routine because he’s saving up to take his 10 kids to Disneyland.

I also have another friend, let’s call her Laquisha. She gets up in the wee hours of the morning to go to the gym and workout. She grinds away while most people are still sleeping because fitness has become a part of her lifestyle. She has been obese for most of her life but has now lost weight and loves drinking broccoli-and-chocolate protein shakes.

It’s easy to see the things that Engelbert and Laquisha prioritize in their lives. Is working long hours for meager pay easy? Surely not, but for Engelbert, he is willing to go through this routine for his children. In Laquisha’s case, a healthy lifestyle takes a lot of getting used to. Changes have to be made and it requires a step out of her comfort zone. But for her, it’s something that has to be done. We can see, then, that Engelbert’s kids are what he lives for. And that Laquisha is living for her passion for fitness.

You don’t have to follow Engelbert and Laquisha’s example; everyone has different passions and different ways to live for them. Life is a struggle. And the things that we are willing to struggle for are the same things that give our life importance.

So I guess my point with all this rambling is… Take time to think about what you are really living for. And once you find out what it is, I hope that you are happy with it. If not, then it’s not too late to change.

Your goals now might not be your goals a few years from now, and that’s okay. The important thing is that you always have a purpose, a “something worth living for.” It’s okay to get lost every now and then, but make sure that you have a destination in mind.

Finally out of words,

-jgzn