No Day But Today

The best advice I have received in life, did not come from a parent, a teacher, or an older sibling; it came from a song. There is a line in the song, “No Day But Today” from the musical Rent that always sticks with me when I hear it: “Forget Regret, or life is yours to miss” I had sang the song a million times but I never really thought about what it truly meant until I sang it in a benefit concert over the summer. The concert was put on for a boy, Brian from my high school who suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare disease that causes brain damage. My close friends started a group called the “Lemonade Gang” which put on shows and concerts to help raise money for research. As I stood on stage singing this song with all my friends around me, I looked out into a crowd of inspired people and most importantly Brian. You could tell he was enjoying the music. I finally realized how important the words my friends and I were singing.  I thought, “Here I am always complaining about my life, striving for perfection, living in the past, complaining about the present, when I should be just living my life. Shouldn’t I just live in the moment and appreciate the life I’ve been given when there are so many people who have it worse off than me?” I am constantly over thinking the things I do and the decisions I make. I regret saying things and not saying things to the people I love.  I think about the past and the things I should have done differently. I dwell on it so much that I miss the beautiful life that’s right in front of me. I decided right then and there I  won't worry my life away. I have been blessed with so much in my life that I owe it to Brian and others who aren’t as fortunate to not let life pass me by. You never know when things can change, so you must live in the moment. Brian was once a normal boy and then everything changed. We never know what the future holds so we must appreciate each day for what it is. Whenever I hear that song I am reminded that there truly is “No Day But Today.”

“There is no Permanence.” – Utnapishtum

These four words were said by Utnapishtum to Gilgamesh on his tireless quest for everlasting life.  Although this is a simple statement, these four words present a harsh fact of life; everything, good or bad, must come to an end.  We live in a world that is constantly changing. People are brought into this world and taken out of it every minute of every day. This often leads people to question the purpose of their lives and the concept of life in general. How can we go about our lives, knowing that one day there won’t be even one person that remembers us? Why should we build relationships with people knowing they can disappear in a matter of seconds? If life is so disposable, what is the point? Shouldn’t we spare ourselves the heartbreak? All these questions drive humanity insane. People want answers to all the questions life throws at us. What becomes of all of our thoughts, memories and ideas after we die? I once read an african proverb that said "Everytime an old person dies a library burns to the ground". All of their intelligence and education is suddenly gone and worthless. Their story has come to an end. We want to have been important enough to have our story told even after we die. We want to know that we are leaving the world having made some kind of positive impact on the world. This is the driving force behind everything we do and the choices we make. Another thing we want to know is what is in store for us after we die. This is why people turn to religion and faith during times of need. They want to know there is life after death and that they will be reunited with their loved ones. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing if this is true. This scares people. It is this fear of the unknown that drives Gilgamesh to find a way to escape death. This is made clear on page 97 when Gilgamesh says, “What my brother is now, that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am afraid of death I will go as best I can to find Untapishtim whom they call Faraway, for he has entered the assembly of the gods.” Gilgamesh’s fears about death summon a deep desire for immortality. What he fails to realize is that immortality is not the key to happiness. In fact it actually causes more heartbreak than anything else. Someone who is immortal has to watch every person they ever loved die. Also, it would be impossible for them to take risks in life because there would never be any consequences.  Immortality takes all the excitement out of living. Life is precious because you have a limited time on earth. Knowing that we don’t have forever is what makes us live life to the fullest and appreciate each moment we have with the ones we love. As humans we should learn take advantage of all life has to offer instead of living in fear about something as inevitable as death. I think this is something everyone who wishes to live a happy and fulfilling life should live by. So the next time I'm pondering the purpose of my life and like Gilgamesh, fearing what is to come, I will think of my favorite quote from the novel “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt, “Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.”