Daniel Sampayo

Have you ever asked yourself if you are living or existing before? There is a huge difference between these two. Oscar Wilde gives the difference, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.” It is these two concepts I want to talk about in this article.

To live means you are in charge of your life, but to exist means you are just occupying space in the universe. 

Earlier this year, we had seen a high rate of people committing suicide. Depression is still a major problem in society. They say depression comes from the inability to construct the future in your mind. Depression can lead to some of the worst scenarios in life. Social media connects all the people globally, but I say social media has disconnected many of us in real life.

Most people live in quiet depression, while they have smiling pictures on social media accounts. We share the happiest moments of our lives online, but deep down we are empty and hurting. Fear of speaking out overwhelms us to speak out. 

We shy away from sharing our vulnerabilities. But life is not easy at all. Author of “The Road Less Travelled”. Scott Peck, begins his book with the sentence, “Life is difficult.” It’s not easy living, it’s hard, and we have to embrace this fact rather than avoid it like a
plague. 

When last did you sit down in silence and have a deeper conversation with a family member or friend? Living means we need to face life’s challenges head-on. There is no honour in looking strong outside while you are dying inside. 

Speak out and get help. Did you ask yourself why you woke up alive today? There is a purpose for you to do in this journey called life. Stop being comfortable in every easy situation you find yourself today. 

Stop the mentality of taking the easy road out of your problems. 

Challenge yourself to do the hard things. Youth in Namibia only complain about change, but we are not making any different moves. 

The country’s economy is bad. Yet, we are forever present at bars and clubs; spending money, or worse drinking on debt. Are we waiting for the economy to get better and consume more liquor? 

We have mothers rooming around towns to pick up tins, bottles, containers and plastic to sell. – They have become town cleaners by default (poverty), just to put food on the table. 

The most painful part is we are happy to eat food from this source of income, while we are paid every month. Seriously, we should be ashamed to the max. This is a disgrace to humanity.

Life does not end on a qualification from university. There is a lot to do. Get out of your comfort zone and become a contributing member to society. 

Choose not to let the next five years be a continuum of the last five. Go back to school, or learn a new skill. 

Don’t just occupy space and become a chronic complainer. Quoting Mel Robbins, “Knowing what you need to do to improve your life takes wisdom. Putting yourself to do it takes courage.”    

We need to search for knowledge in order to make a difference. Ask yourself these series of questions. How many years should pass without you achieving any of your yearly goals? For how long should you be complaisant to what other people’s limitations of you are? When will you walk away from the abusive relationship you are in right now? When will you accept the life you lead? When will you ever tell the person in the mirror that you love him or her? When will you take action on the sound ideas in your
mind? 

In closing, in her book, “A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing”, Bronnie Ware wrote the five most common regrets shared by the people nearing death. 1. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” 2. “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” 4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”5. “I wish that I had let myself be happier.” 

Jawaharlal Nehru once said, “The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” What dreams, ideas, goals, feelings, plans, business ideas, skills, talents and abilities are you sitting on? This is the time to start living, and an end to existing.  Ideas without action are worthless. 

Don’t wait for tomorrow. There were opportunities yesterday; and are not here today.  There will never be an ideal moment in life. Act now.