our atomic existence

The amount of matter that constitutes our human body is infinitesimal as compared to that in the Universe. The oldest stars in the Milky Way, according to science, are around 13.4 billion years old. The age of Earth is said to be around 4.5 billion years, and it’s going to be there spinning on its axis for a very long time. We, on the other hand, only get some decades with us, a century maybe if things work out well. Our atomic existence is nothing in comparison with the grandness of the world around us. When we zoom out and think this way — in terms of facts and figures — it gives us a new perspective, doesn’t it?

We may think that we are at the center of the Universe, but we’re not. We’re just one individual out of billions that inhabit this world. Instead of being self-absorbed, we can direct our attention outside and focus on things that are bigger than us. We’re not here for long and it’s up to us how we want to maximize our blink of an eye existence.

We don’t have to execute a grand mission or start a revolution, we simply need to do our best (like other people). The entire world doesn’t rest on our shoulders. We just need to do our bit towards making a positive impact on humanity and this world. We may not live forever, but the ripple effect of our actions may last longer, beyond our lifetime; we may touch a great number of lives helping us make a meaningful, perennial contribution. If we choose, we can pursue immortality through our work and our interactions so that we keep making this world a better place, even when we’re gone.

Along with leaving our footprint on this world, we can spend our time gathering new and different experiences. We all have been designated with the same inevitable destination, but we have the power to make our journeys unique. Instead of accumulating stuff and building a cocoon for ourselves, we can spend time traveling and exploring the world. We can know more about our planet and visit new places, experience a wide range of cultures and collect different perspectives as we move forward. We can spend our time having conversations that soothe us and make us feel more alive.

There’s no point in waiting and day-dreaming from our cubicles, and home-offices. We need to make it happen — the clock is ticking! It’s best to see and experience the wonders of this world before it gets too late.

Lastly, we don’t have to take things so seriously. If you’re an intense person (like me), then you’ll have to keep reminding yourself of the ephemeral human existence again and again. Nothing lasts forever.

We simply need to become conscious of our present moments and embrace life as it comes by. We need to let go of all the trivial things and issues that constantly bother us. Difficult times are a part and parcel of life, they come and go. We need to realize like all things they have a shelf life too and they’ll go away as well sooner or later. We need to dissolve our disputes and let the burden of grudges and gnawing resentments off of our shoulders. It works best for us to go light without any baggages.

Who knows what the point of life is? Maybe there isn’t, after all. Enjoy your experience and don’t take yourself, your work, the things that have bothered you in the past, the issues that are affecting you right now and the worries of your future too seriously. Detach from them, be nice to yourself and do things that make you feel good. Smile and laugh, and find joy in every single day that you get to live. That’s the best we can do — to put more life in our tiny existence, and strive to get in tune with the happiness within us as much as we can.