Hmmm, life!
It’s a heavy phrase, isn't it? It’s the kind of sigh that slips out when you're sitting alone after a long day, staring at a screen or a blank wall, wondering when the baseline for survival became so incredibly steep.
Lately, I’ve been looking at the world around me, looking at my own journey, and asking a question that I think a lot of us whisper to ourselves in the quiet moments,Why does it take working your absolute head off just to make a basic living?
When did the simple act of existing become a full-time, exhausting hustle?
Historically, humans worked to survive biological threats. You hunted so you wouldn't starve,you built a roof so the rain wouldn't wet you. It was a direct, primal relationship with nature.
But today? The goalposts have completely shifted. we are fighting inflation, unpredictable job markets, systemic pressure, and endless bills.
We are forced to trade our most precious, non-renewable commodity,our time and mental energy just to secure the bare minimum. And by the time we buy our survival for the month, our energy tanks are sitting on empty.
It feels inherently unfair. In theory, being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. You are already you. But in reality, navigating society to actually become the person you want to be is an act of absolute defiance.
Life in its "Actual Sense"
I think we get tired because we treat life like a checklist. Once I get that certification, once I stabilize in this city, once the family responsibilities ease up... then I’ll start living. But the truth life isn't the destination at the end of the struggle. Life is the friction itself. Think about gold. It doesn’t become valuable by sitting peacefully in the dirt. It requires heat, pressure, and intense crushing to reveal its worth. Our awareness,our ability to look at our lives,feel the stretch of a career pivot, and still say "I want better for myself" that awareness is beautiful, but it is incredibly heavy.
Navigating this ocean is never an easy task because we don't control the waves. We only control how we steer the boat.
If the script of life is just "work hard, pay bills, get tired, die," then it’s a bad story.and as for me, I refuse to live a bad story.
So, I’m choosing to change the currency I’m playing for.
If we wait for life to be perfect before we enjoy it, we will die waiting. The actual sense of living is hidden in the unscripted cracks of the hustle. a genuine laugh with someone who gets you, the relief of a cool breeze after a scorching afternoon, or the quiet pride of finally mastering a concept that used to confuse you.
Life is truly hard. Anyone pretending it’s a walk in the park is selling something or coasting on the surface. It takes a massive output before you see the input. But it is a canvas, and the fact that we feel the weight of it only proves that we refuse to just exist. We want to mean something.