A dear friend asked me once what was the point. The point to living. Is there a reason to what we do or is it all just a distraction to ignore the coming end to our existence. I responded with this...
--------
My favorite game at the local arcade was Initial D. I absolutely loved it. Drifting around every turn and racing against the AI or another player. Really good times.
The thing was, you had to race against two opponents. One was the AI or another player. And there's that competition against you and your rival and it's all fun and dandy and whatnot.
But then there was this second opponent in the game: a timer. You could be destroying your rival or fighting neck to neck for first, but it didn't really matter if you couldn't pass the finish line before time was up.
It was that... sense of urgency... that made me realize who the true "opponent" of that game was: me. I had to do everything I possible could before that timer was out. I had to keep moving forward. I had to master every twist and turn. I had to learn how to slow down, speed up, and flow.
Everything else is just scenery.
And it's that view... that understanding... that I take with me in life.
Yes. Death is coming. Death is final. All things are over when death comes knocking. But all that means is I've got shit I have to do... before that timer is up.
I want to be a writer. A professional writer. So, I study. I go to school. I write on my free time. Pitch and peddle my shitty scripts, stories, and concepts to anyone who'll give me the time. All to become a professional writer.
And they're not distractions. They're steps to a goal.
And once I reach that goal... I guess I'll just find another one. And then I'll take the necessary steps to reach that one. And all I can do is take pride and be happy in going through everything I can before that timer runs out.
Trying. Going. Moving. Interacting. Failing. Succeeding. That's the point.
Small things. "Trivial" things. It doesn't have to be grand. There is no... grandiose purpose for anyone, really. It's just our every day actions. Our... being... is what's important. The fact that we're here. And the fact that we impact those around us, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is the point.
You smile at someone in passing. You may be the first person to smile at that person that day. That makes them smile and feel good about themselves. That, in turn, makes them do something, even if it's small, nice or kind to someone or something else. That could lead to a chain of events that could quite possibly be something grand.
Or... it's just a smile.
But the possibility of that chain reaction... the knowledge of that happening because of something you did... makes EVERYTHING have a point.
It's not just what happens in the end. It's not the completed list of our life achievements and failings. Far from it.
It is ALL about what happens now. What happened before. What will happen.
For every death... there is a life.
For every action... there is a reaction.
That is an undeniable truth.
It is all with what we do now, positive or negative, that makes the change and gives the point to it all.
This very conversation, though it started with negative connotations, yielded positive results in that it helped me have better understandings about why.
And, hopefully, it gave you something to think about, too.
--------
I know when I die that there was a point to it all because I know my actions helped mold the world around me.
I impacted my friends.
I impacted my family.
I impacted complete strangers.
I impacted everything just by being. It's as simple as that...
And THAT... is the point.
