WHY YOU SHOULD GO ON

One of the saddest messages I received recently was that one of my childhood friends was at the tipping point of depression. I am dedicating this post wholeheartedly to you and to everyone else who feels that their world is moments from crumbling down. This is a reminder that sometimes, there are events that take place which we have absolutely no control over. We do have a choice though, which is either to give up or to keep on fighting, and I hope your choice is to keep on fighting. Every damn time.

Let me begin by saying I am no expert in human psychology nor do I know how to take methodical approaches with conversation to better understand victims with depression. With that in mind, these are the aspects of life that I personally think are worth living for, and in turn, the reasons you need to keep fighting.

LIVE FOR FAMILY

You need to live for your family, whether it is your parents, siblings, pets, or friends who have become family. I believe the term family goes hand in hand with home, so when I think of family, I tend to think of things that make me feel at home. These things could be, well, anything that makes you feel at peace. It could be a thought, a place, or even a person, because home is as simple as that. It is but a feeling, a thought. Some people can argue that they have no home or that they are difficult to love, but that is silly. Look harder. Look smarter. One of the greatest gifts that humans have been blessed with is the ability to make foreign places and people their home. There must be a moment, a thought, or a memory that triggers a flux in serotonin which you can hold onto with your dear life. Personally, when I think about home, the first thought that comes to mind are my parents who immigrated to Canada and sacrificed their passions and career for me to chase mine. Every time I encounter hardships, I am reminded of how disappointed my parents would be if I decided to give up on myself, when they have yet to give up on me. The inexplicable, unconditional parental love truly has me at a loss for words, but its complexity is something I will perpetually cherish. By the way mom, if you ever stumble upon and read this, this in no way implies that I am willing to do the dishes.

LIVE FOR SUNSETS AND SUNRISES

You need to live for sunsets and sunrises. Do I need to say more? The fleeting beauty of sunsets and sunrises never fail to take me away from my perceived troubles. There is something extremely peaceful about commodities that humans have no control over. Humans have a strange tendency to want to control things, to plan things, and I am no exception. However, when I have the opportunity to slip away from the working world and focus entirely on the elapsing beauty of the sun being swallowed away by the clouds, I am reminded again of the endless possibilities of life. It is empowering to think, when you look at the sun, that there are no apparent social hierarchies or arcane policies of monarchy. This is because the feelings that evoke and the experiences that form are completely and utterly yours. In those moments, you need to realize that even the darkest nights will soon burn bright again.

LIVE FOR FIRST EXPERIENCES

You need to live for first time experiences. There are so many first times and the few that quickly come to my mind are graduating from high school, graduating from college, riding a bike, driving a car, and flying in an airplane. Every time I reflect on a first time experience, I am reminded of my stomach churning with excitement. I am reminded of the flood in emotions of both nervousness and eagerness, and it never fails to leave me in anticipation for what is yet to come. Say we compare your life to a book. The chapters would be a metaphor for each new experience, the pages for the days, and the lines for the emotions you felt and or actions of that day. It is then important to recognize that you need to read every line in the book, regardless of how you currently feel about the story. Of course, you can be sad, frustrated, or angry even but please know that a new chapter will eventually begin and the only way to know what the upcoming chapters entail is to keep reading.

LIVE FOR YOURSELF

You need to live for yourself. Live for the good. Live for the small moments that take your breath away. Live for the small moments that you have with yourself. Live because that is what it means to be alive. Live for yourself because you can.