Life Is To Live Or Exist

By Viji Nair

We often hear people saying I quote: ‘I have not lived my life’. There is a very thin line between living your life and just existing. For some people getting up in the morning, doing their daily course of work and going to bed is living life. But for some enjoying life by eating good food, travelling to new places, buying new clothes is living life. Then what does existing mean? If a person lives without any purpose in life then he is just exists. Each one should have some motive or ambition to achieve then only one can be content in life.

There are people who are very wealthy and contribute a lot of money as charity, doing so they get a feeling of content. On the other hand a farmer gets immense pleasure when he sees his flourished green farms. In a middle class family normally the father is the bread earner. He may be having many larger than life desires like having a car, a house, going abroad for vacations with family and so on. But he is unable to do so due to his financial limitation. After fulfilling all his responsibilities he is left with nothing to chase after his wishes. But still he is happy and content. A poor rickshaw puller who commute passengers all day to make his ends meet. He puts his children in the government schools with the hope that they’ll have a better life. From all the above situations, we can see that their way of living is directed by the conditions around them and how they deal with it.

In our life time we come across many people who hardly do anything on their own but enjoy the wealth, name and fame their forefather’s left for them. They inherit it by birth which they enjoy their whole life. Now this is what existing means. In our families the home makers play a very important role. She manages all household work and looks after all the family members keeping aside her desires. She doesn’t have anything to do for her happiness on her own. She is not living in the true sense but existing for others. In many firms or companies the employees just agree to what their boss says even if their views differ. They fear losing their jobs and agree to do whatever they are told. Such people can never show their true personality and so just exist rather than living their own life.

In my view a person who is able to take his own decisions at the same time think about the well being of their family and society is living a life to its fullest. On the other hand person who cannot put up his own views, others take decisions for him, who does things to fulfill others aspirations and happiness just exists on this earth.

By Viji Nair