This is your Life. What are you going to do with it?

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Isn’t it funny how we unceasingly question Life? What’s the meaning of Life? Is this all there is to Life? Is Life ever going to bring me all I need? I mean after all I keep asking for it. You sit comfortably day after day hoping that all your wishes come true. We enjoy taking sides. Don’t we? We create a stance that reflects our own perspective which we shaped according to our previous experiences, then cheer for the outcome to match our expectations, oftentimes having no substantial involvement nor influence to the result. You watch your favourite sport’s team winning or losing. You have no saying on how hard the players train, you have no saying on the game strategies, you have no control over absolutely anything that goes on, yet you feel appropriately excited or frustrated even though you contributed in absolutely no way to either outcome. You take political sides, casting a vote only to remark your partiality, then feel accomplished if your favourite party wins or dismayed if they lose. Even though you have had unequivocally no participation whatsoever in the work that the candidates had to exert themselves to receive your fondness. Even though you will have no other say on the way things will unfold thereon. Even though you have had no adage in the making of policies, you just agree with them. You will have no other give or take in how they will be upheld. Yet you will feel a sense of accomplishment if your favourite party wins, because that is the ultimate confirmation that you need, that you don’t have to do anything, for your wishes to come true. Expecting then the same to happen with your Life. You want the perfect job, or a promotion, idlily standing by wanting it to joyfully fall on your lap. Waiting for your boss to come and offer you what you think is your prerogative. You question everything that occurs to you, contemptuously blaming all others involved, taking no responsibilities for your acts, or lack of, for that matter. Isn't it funny that we keep questioning Life? We want a response, and we want it now. We DEMAND answers. We demand that Life brings about all that we command it. I mean, we politely and passively asked for. Sitting comfortably, expectantly that the results of efforts that you didn't put in will soon manifest. We complain that we aren’t fit enough, but exercising is too much of an effort, we complain that we don’t like our jobs, but changing careers is a very labours struggle, we don’t like where we live but moving is such an exhausting process. So, you park yourself questioning “Why, oh why, Life never goes my way?” “Why can’t I be happy?” “Why can’t I have more money?” “Why can’t I have the body-shape I want?” “Why does this keep happening to me?” “Why is Life so unfair?”

What if, Life stood up to you one day and ask you the same exact things; “Why don’t you ever go the way you want to go?” “Why don’t you actively look and chase the things that make you happy?” Why don’t you find innovative ways to make more money? Why don’t you exercise more and eat healthier, so you can stop complaining about being unfit?” “Why do you keep doing the same old things repeatedly expecting new consequences?” “Why DAFUQ are you so unfair?” “Why do you expect me to hand you everything when you don’t even try to get it?”

But I’m sure you have all the excuses ready to give as an answer to Life. Oh! the economy, oh my health, oh other commitments, oh other people… Oh! Everything else but me.

But if, and when Life responds in the same way, you don’t accept it. First because we are primarily self-entitled and think we should have everything offered to us with no questions asked. We think of Life, as an external entity that have obligations to us. What we forget to acknowledge is that We are Life. Life doesn’t happen to us, we make Life happen for us. So yes, we owe it to ourselves. Whatever you think Life is doing or not doing for you, remember, YOU are responsible for yourself. Only you can deliver to yourselves the results that you want out of Life.

You want freedom but are dependent on what Life might or might not bring you?

“Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.

What is really needed is a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We must learn ourselves and, furthermore, we must teach the despairing Men, that it does not really matter what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us. We need to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead think of ourselves as those who are being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our question must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfil the tasks which (..) “ we constantly set for ourselves.