Do we know what it is to live? We say we're living. So we
should be masters of life. What does it mean to be alive?
It looks like a lot of routines and useless everyday tasks. We call it the ordinary life. But by being alive we mean none of those moments of gray days and sleepy mornings. For us to be alive is about experiences and moments that stick out from the ordinary—something to remember, no matter whether it was for good or bad. Nietzsche wrote about his own life and marked that his weakest moments were his greatest moments. They made him stronger.
Our greatest moments are the ones where we have experienced something meaningful. They have taught us something about life, about its sadness, sorrow, beauty, joy, anger, hatred, love, happiness, or freedom. These lessons usually do not come easily. Many times it means that we have to break out of the ordinary, safe life, and we can be caught by surprise. Experiences require us to extend our limits—come out of our safety zone. (Otherwise they would be part of our ordinary lives.) Sometimes stretches are giant leaps that hurt us deeply.
On the other hand, some experiences happen out of nowhere, where we can just enjoy the beautiful moment with total harmony like a sunset on a perfect summer day. There are no expectations, and we take life as it comes, with no fear or stress but just with curiosity and open-mindedness—like in a holiday trip.
What are the moments you're the most proud of? For many, these moments are ones where we have done something that we believe was the "right thing to do." Something noble, humble, unselfish—almost heroic. We were not thinking about ourselves, we were acting for a greater good. Hollywood movies, fairytales, and novels are full of these stories. They resonate in us and give us a good feeling. Somehow it's built on us and is universal. Is that to be truly alive and the purpose of life? Or is it called love? And what if love, life, and truth are just different names for the same purpose, and our journey is to get to know them by living and experiencing.