Part of the reason I took up blogging was to explore my own mind; to make concrete my own beliefs in my search for purpose in life. If in the process I also manage to help others understand my odd ways of thinking, then I get a bonus. BECAUSE I have chosen the “path less travelled” I frequently find obstructions on the path that would not be there if I followed the more travelled paths. As a result, sometimes I find it difficult to continue along the path that I have chosen; wondering maybe if I should take an easier way because it works for so many others … even if I personally find it a flawed path.
When these doubts assail me, I often find myself escaping from the realities that I eventually must face. I lose myself in an epic novel; watch movies and shows; get immersed in socializing with folks I do not really even know. It is as if I am seeking the correct path of my life by seeing how others live theirs … or at least imagine it could be lived.
Unfortunately sometimes these other lives become so seductive that it is easy to lose yourself in them, forgetting who we are in the process. This seduction becomes more powerful when one is in a non-stable part of their life, when one is struggling up a particularly difficult portion of their chosen path and wondering if they should turn back.
In my recent bout of escapism, I have frequently encountered the ideas “live each day as if it will be your last” and “live for the moment”. To some this may appear how I live my life, and at one time that WAS how I lived it. Once I thought these words were wisdom. But now, either because I have actually gained some wisdom, or simply got older and more experienced, I see the flaw in both ideas.
The simple truth of the matter is in my belief system, life has no purpose. Life simply is. Therefore we can not actually find purpose in our lives. We need to create it ourselves. And this is done by the choices we make, and by firmly following the paths we choose to follow. Now “live each day as if it will be your last”, and “live for the moment” on the surface seem to fulfill this concept, they suggest find what joy you can in life now while you can. But I find that they both actually have a rather pessimistic point of view, and both kind of ignore the concept of consequences. What they really say is : live in hedonistic pleasure now because tomorrow we die … and therefore we do not have to face the consequences of our actions today.
I suggest that maybe we should live each day as if it were our FIRST; to fully live IN the moment. By living IN the moment we don’t just seek pleasure, but seek to fully embrace the moment we are in, WHATEVER that moment offers. And if we 
live each day as if it were our FIRST, we would never lose the wonder of encountering something for the first time. We would know that tomorrow is another day that follows today with more wonders to be found. Don’t expect to die tomorrow. Expect to LIVE tomorrow. Allow the choices you make today to make tomorrow a new day of wonder!
Maybe this way opens ourselves to a certain amount of pain and discomfort. So be it. It is the negatives in life that make the positives stand out. So my personal reminder from this bit of sophistry is simply this :
LIVE TODAY! CREATE TOMORROW!
