Saturday, January 28, 2012

On living vs. existing

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde
It saddens me to think that Mr. Wilde may have been right. How many people around us, after all, are so wrapped up in the mundane details of making it through the average day that they forget to stop every once in a while to realize what a trip this life thing can be? A good shake to the soul might be in order, a reminder that we only see beauty if we first make the effort to do so.

From where I sit, it isn't a glass-half-full-glass-half-empty equation. My glass is half full of water, the other half air. How I choose to perceive it - as a source of life-giving water, an optical-photographic plaything, or anything else - is entirely up to me. Having that choice is priceless, and I'd hate to think I'd ever squander it.

Your turn: How do you spread joy?

3 comments:

sage said...

Smile! Too often those who exist attempt to draw the rest of us down to their level... we need to resist without condemning or further destroying their spirit.

21 Wits said...

Your quote so brings to life that each day, we are given to use up wisely before dusk comes and takes it away, and hopefully tomorrow will arrive again, just like today...and by trying to bring out more smiles from people or better yet laughter (I posted a laughing video on my FB) yesterday....just because sometimes we forget to...

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

The thing that works best for me is helping someone or something that I have the power to help. Lately, that's a stray orange cat in West Virginia.

I wish I could do more, but power in our society is reserved for those who help the plutocrats.
~