Thoughts on Mortality

I find it both fascinating and awfully sobering when I think of the fact that this world has existed way before I was born and will continue to do so well after I die.

The thought that I don't even know the name of my great grandmother is strangely troubling. Especially given that we're just three generations apart. And if I continue to pull on this thread, this also means that a great grandson of mine wouldn't even know what I was like, let alone my name.

So if we really think about it, we will all be forgotten after three generations. Any material possessions, achievements, job titles, and social approvals, all of it. It won't matter how much or how little you had. You will be gone. Nobody will care.

But it's not all too bad. Constantly reminding myself that this thing called life is just a lease put things in perspective. Getting pissed off at someone because something didn't go my way now seems just a waste of energy. Small inconveniences and petty conflicts doesn't bother me that much anymore, or at least I try not to. After all, I'm pretty sure my 90 year old self would pay any amount just to go back and switch places.

On one hand is the realization that in the grand scheme of things our existence is terribly inconsequential. While on the other is a true appreciation of my limited and precious time here. Waking up each day and not knowing exactly how much time I have left adds vibrancy to my seemingly ordinary day-to-day life. It pulls you in the present.

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.
- Marcus Aurelius

Contemplating on our mortality doesn't have to be a gloomy or morbid activity. It encourages me to make the most out of this incredible opportunity. Because in spite of its imperfections, I believe that there's never been a better time to be alive.