we all have two lives
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EP. 27 a high school student’s thoughts on living
I recently came across this saying: We have two lives. The second one begins when we realize we only have one. I think this saying is an incredible and accurate representation of many people's way of living.
We all have two lives. The first being the way we are living right now; as if we had forever. The way we are constantly reassuring ourselves, forgiving ourselves for being afraid, saying next time, instead of stepping up, doing what we want to do, and taking the risk. The way we procrastinate and say, I’ll do it tomorrow, instead of simply taking action today. However, the second life, which many may never live out, is when we realize that we don’t have forever, and that everything can change in the matter of a day. It’s when we stop cowardly hiding behind the “rational” course that our brain tells us to do, and instead, try to make the most out of everyday life. It’s a life full of risks, oftentimes failing, but in the end, a life with no regrets, only content and constant pursuit of new things.
For so many people, only when we physically know that we are about to die, do we start making bucket lists of what we want to accomplish before our time runs out. Only when our time is limited do we start truly valuing and living every day the way we want to. This doesn’t only apply to life and death, but instead can embody deadlines, a period of time running out, or a journey that’s about to end. It’s ironic how when we realize that we don’t have forever, do we seem to rush and try and accomplish all the things we could have done before. What a waste of time it must be, to only do what you want when you could have followed your heart all along. Don’t you think that the way we live, the way humans look at time, is such a disregard to the privilege that we have been gifted? We are wasting our time, and life.
Humans started acknowledging the presence of time thousands of years ago. To be more exact, Babylonians and Egyptians began to measure time at least 5,000 years ago. Humans started using calendars, keeping track of the passing days, and measuring the time that has gone by or that might come. It is quite fascinating to know that humans were able to take such an abstract concept, something that none of us can quite grasp, and turn it into something measurable, physical, and concrete. But what is the use of measuring time if we never seem to live as if time is passing? What is the use of ancestors inventing such an incredible recording tool if this generation is simply living everyday, repeating the same routines and actions everyday, as if no time has passed at all?
I don’t want this post to simply be a discussion on time, but also, an ode to life. I cannot help but marvel at the very idea of human life, the fact that humans can live so differently from the rest of the world, the way other organisms have lived for billions of years. Whenever visiting a museum, can people not help but wonder at how humans were able to create such art and technology out of practically nothing? The way, out of the trillions of stars, planets, and solar systems, we were able to happen. Life, civilization, and human creations were able to appear. The way we get day after day, another chance, and another period of time, to be able to live in this world. People, unfortunately, die everyday, but a lot of us get another chance to live another day. We get to wake up after falling asleep, open our eyes, and live. So why are so many of us living with such little awareness of our privilege, and why are we acting as if life was for granted? What is the point of being alive if we are just going to spend our time doing meaningless tasks, causing harm, and continuing to be afraid?
How can people complain about not having enough time each day, when we have almost 16 hours? 24 hours in a day, 8 hours sleeping, what more time could we possibly need? For students, who at most, might spend 10 hours physically learning and in the classroom, what about the extra 6 hours? What about the 32 hours on the weekend, the extra time on the holidays? It’s not that we don’t have time, we simply waste it, because we don’t value it.
I think that there is one way in which all of us can make the most out of the opportunity of life. That is, to ask yourself at the start of each day, how would I live today if I die at the end of the day? Then, at the end of the day, question yourself, am I content with how this day turned out? Do I have any regrets?
When people say to live with no regrets, oftentimes we come up with the image of traveling the world, doing crazy things, and not caring about what others think. While this may be what most people want to do if they were to die at the end of each day, in reality, how many of us have the resources to do that? What we can do is try to live each day contently, doing things that you think back upon at the end of your day and can remember. We can try not to spend the mornings on social media, scrolling through videos that grant us pleasure in the moment, but are meaningless and instantly forgettable at the end of the day. Instead of being afraid to speak your mind, express your opinion to others, just say it, so you won’t spend your night regretting the unspoken words. Perhaps start spending your time working on and exploring your hobbies, doing things that bring you fulfillment and happiness, instead of watching short videos that your forget in a matter of minutes. Do things that make you fulfilled, do things that you won’t regret, and do things that help you improve.
What’s more, take action. So many of us are afraid to act when we see and hear things that we all know are wrong. We see injustice in our community, we see cruel events happening all over the world, and yet, we seem to think that other people will solve the problem on their own. But why not use our time to act on the things that we care about? Why not start spreading awareness, and using our time and privileges to make an impact?
As a student, I have the privilege of having more time and opportunity to explore what I want to spend my life doing. Instead of working on something that might be stable but that you dislike, take risks. Try spending your time doing meaningful things that leave your mark on this world. Do things that you won’t regret when you realize you run out of time, things that bring change to your life and to others. I think that this is the most important aspect of our second life. When we acknowledge how precious an opportunity we were given, would we still spend our time on meaningless things forever?
So let’s use our life, the time we have been given, to pursue our passion, make an impact, and make the best use of our limited time. Let today be the beginning of your second life.
with love,
joy