We Can Be Afraid, Or We Can Live

“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realise we only have one” said Confucius. And there it is, the sign we’ve been waiting for, uttered thousands of years ago by a man much wiser than us. For a moment it resonates with us and touches us deeply. And then we return to whatever we were watching on the television. 

When the Romans said “memento mori” we nodded in agreement, inspired for a moment, and then we got back to our Excel spreadsheets and Google analytics and KPIs and replaced the printer toner. We returned to our day jobs. Our tax returns. Refilled the stapler. We returned our attention to the mundanities of a nondescript existence. 

 But all of this wisdom is forgotten in a heartbeat. So, here is a reminder.

We are alive now. But soon we will die.

We get one shot at this. One shot at this life. There are no other opportunities coming as far as we know for sure, yet we squander our time and our energy. We live lives of fear that prevent us from rising to greatness, from realising our potential, from living the lives that we were put here to live.

We squander the biggest gift that has been given to anybody since the beginning of time.

And all because we are afraid.

We are terrified of being judged, yet we revel in judging others. We are terrified of not being accepted, yet we refuse to accept others. We are terrified of failure, yet we find glee in the failure of others. We don’t truly live, because deep down we know how cruel we can be, and so we are terrified of the cruelty that others can inflict upon us.

The only way we can possibly tackle this is to let go. Let go of judgement. Let go of fear. Let go of hate. Celebrate the efforts of our peers. Rejoice in the aims and ambitions of our brothers and sisters around the world as we would hope the they would rejoice with ours. And just be with the world as we would wish the world to be with us.

 Just live. But live as fully as you possibly can.

Stop seeking permission. Stop seeking affirmation. Stop seeking approval and validation. Stop judging. Stop hating. Stop complaining and criticising. But embrace a position of love, of encouragement, of celebration, and learn to be.

Just be.

But be as loudly and as colourfully as you can. Express your existence with every last ounce of energy you’ve got. Because this might be your only chance. This might be the only opportunity you get to be you. This life is short. It’s precious. It’s delicate and fragile. And every minute wasted is a minute squandered. 

So live. Really live. And sing and dance and shout and scream, and build and create and fly, and listen and love – really love – and embrace this precious life with both hands. Because this is all we’ve got. And it is only a spark in the darkness of the infinity of existence.