Life

I think a lot of people live life the way they do because we, as human beings, correctly perceive life as a process. It begins, it proceeds, it ends. The problem is our understanding of this process is flawed. 

We perceive it as a series of steps, actions, leading up to a certain culmination. A climax. So, as a result, we treat life as nothing but a journey. And a journey isn’t something you ordinarily enjoy – at least, not so significantly that you would go on a trip for the trip’s sake and not the destination’s. We look out the window and absent-mindedly look at the views rushing past, say a few words to our fellow travelers, but the focus remains on that final destination. 

For some of us, the climax is marriage, a job position, education, children… These are all things that take time, years. Because we’re so focused on getting off the train at our last stop, we miss everything between the start of the journey and the end.

But, for a living thing, that climax is death. It’s the one sure thing at the end of this process we call life.