On The Life Of The Dead
In his memoir, “Man’s Search For Meaning”, Viktor Frankl illustrates the horrors of his time in Auschwitz. At the concentration camp camp he was separated from his family, all of whom were killed. He was literally surrounded by death at every corner of life, as he was the only surviving member of his family after WWII. Yet, he emerged emotionally unscathed by focusing on what makes his life meaningful, the beauty of life in general, and how conquering obstacles can shape the quality of life – a practice he coined as Logotherapy.
Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, was born and raised a slave. His real name we do not know, as Epictetus means "acquired one." He was said to have walked with a limp as a result of abuse by a former master.
He once said "I have to die. If it is now, well then I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch, since the hour for lunch has arrived – and dying I will tend to later.” Meaning, we're all going to suffer in life and die, so why live a life that is so dead serious? We exist for just a short period, why not enjoy that time? Why not make the most of that time?
Author Robert Greene came up with the labels of “Alive Time” and “Dead Time”. Consider what you're doing right now—would it be any different than if you were dead? Though a superficially morbid thought, he makes a good point. How do you want to spend your time while you're alive? Do you want to live a "mechanical life", as Albert Camus calls it, where you go through mundane motions without any intention? Or would you rather spend that time putting in your best effort to create a life worth living?
The Greeks lived by the motto "memento mori", meaning "remember that you are mortal." Once again a superficially morbid thought, but this isn't the case. Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius once wrote, "You could leave life right now, let that determine what you do, and say, and think."
The world is full of suffering and negativity, but it is also full of beauty and wonder. You were not created to sulk through the world's suffering, you exist to take an active part in its beauty.
Final Thoughts
You're alive to LIVE, not to act dead—you have plenty of time to be dead when you're dead. Live as if you could die at any moment; this is the case. Live for yourself — at the expense of no one else.
