Time to live: Of all the definitions time management takes, time to live is probably a philosophical one. In this article, I’d like to talk about the first few things that come to your mind when someone says that it is time to live. What does it really mean? And how right is the philosophical statement that we should live life as if every moment is precious? A part of this quote means that we cast away the worries that bother us. Another part says – let’s be mindful and enjoy what’s present at the moment.
Does it also engage a careless side that says – let’s just enjoy and forget the consequences? We talked about a similar trend while discussing Thich Nhat Hanh‘s quote – To live in the present moment is a miracle. What does this quote evoke in you? Are we risking being too romantic while saying life is to be lived on a daily basis and forge the consequences?
What does Time To Live Mean?
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says this to you? If you are anything like me, your responses would be either of the two
- A complete Disdain that someone is just pushing something towards you
- An excitement to go out and do something you really like.
And frankly at this moment if someone says it is the time to live and looks at me, I am really not sure which one I would pick. Maybe it depends on the person saying it and their relationship with me and where I hold them in my life.
Nevertheless, as we talk about the time to live today, it is a far cliched thought that the time to live is now and it is now or never. There are songs about it, some amazing quotes about it and even some stories about how and why the time to live is now. And I agree with all of them.
But what holds us back? What are our reasons to hold back from the time to live which is NOW, even though we know it so well
1) Procrastination
When someone says something, the first question that comes to our mind is – does this mean work or does this mean fun? If the answer is work, then the majority of us would push it a little ahead. They will either say – I will quit my job and start doing what I like and start living a few years later when all my financial troubles are over.
Or maybe when I have more time in my life. Or maybe when society evolves and becomes better to accept me the way I am. There are so many logical reasons we can come up with for this procrastination and each one is better than the other. While procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing, it has to serve our needs. Unless that’s a conscious effort, this procrastination will create more problems than solutions. More about procrastination in this article: How to stop procrastinating
2) The Beast Called Society
Well! This is yet another popular reasoning – what would society think? What would my parents or peers think if I do this? How are they going to label me? Will anyone marry me because I don’t have a stable career or a job? Will someone respect me in society if I do something they don’t like – after all, I have to live with them.
Trust me, no one really cares. Society doesn’t really have a lot of time in its hands to keep thinking of what you do. It is your perception of what society might feel and society is never going to help you lead your life if you keep depending on it. (Related: Quotes about society)
3) People won’t understand
I won’t have enough support! People will not understand what I am doing and they will wait for an opportunity to point fingers at me and say that I am wrong. They will try to prove they are right by proving me wrong. I don’t want to handle the hurt.
There is one simple truth we all know – there is no way you are going to do something without getting hurt. You are going to screw up, you are going to make mistakes and no one will ever understand you. And I guess it becomes a little unreasonable for us to expect them to understand as well. The simplest reason being that everyone is busy in their own life
4) What if?
This is the one question we all keep asking ourselves. What would happen if I take this action and what would happen if I don’t? What will happen if I give up what I have in the hope for something in the future. I think these are some questions which we will constantly have.
But we do have a counter-question for that. What if not? I mean if we have so many questions for something we call a risk, what if we don’t take that risk? What if lose everything we could be if we decide to get stuck on to that one thing which we have just cos it is easier. The way we see it, it looks like a dual-edged sword and rightly so. You cannot gain something completely without the fear of losing something. And the truth is that it is really ok.
For it is the time to live and the life is in NOW and if it is not now, it is not going to be ever unless we decide to be so :).
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Vinay, I am not a huge fan of this philosophy. I more subscribe to fulfilling one’s responsibility in life though admittedly that can feel like a constraint at times. Of course, it does take courage to strike out and reach for what one’s want. Either which way, as long as one lives and learns, I guess it’s okay.
Thank you Lata. I agree, each one of us has a responsibility to fulfil. I guess there is a very thin line to differentiate acting upon one’s will and a faint touch of irresponsibility. I guess everything needs to be in moderation. I will certainly not recommend escaping any responsibility, but at the same time, going towards ones will and desire too is a very powerful motivation.
The second point disturbs us most of the times. A person has every right to live life in the way he wants…..we have to live in the society and so have to obey all the unwritten rules….this sometimes really becomes painful.
True Maniparna, the ironies of society is something which has always bothered me. It has made me question myself so many times before I said – heck it doesn’t matter, what really matters is what I feel about it. At the same time, society does become an inescapable part of our lives. It is quite a tricky affair, but somewhere we do have to draw a line to make the difference.