When does life begin? From the first cry, or when you get your first paycheck, or when you have obtained what you have wished for but are in old age? It seems like many of us are still waiting. "It will happen soon," we tell ourselves—only once I get that job, or this amount of money, or that partner. Just a few more things, and we will be living life like we have always wanted. The unfortunate ones give up on the idealistic prospect of a life they want altogether, instead living from fleeting pleasure to pleasure, submitting to the idea that there is no more to life than withstanding the burden that it is.

“_A man lives three lives. The first one ends with the loss of naivety, the second, with the loss of innocence, and the third… with the loss of life itself. It’s inevitable that we go through all three stage_s.” – Dark TV Show.

I would like to believe we are all dreamers as kids, lunatics if you will, looking up and believing we could reach the moon. Though, as we go through life, we are presented with obstacles, some that we pass through with ease, others, which stop us in our tracks, causing us to divert the course of action. In some cases, obstacles can cause a complete standstill, which can last for years.

When we stop, we are forced to question the situation: many of us hit a sort of crisis—why am I not happy? Shouldn’t I be more than this? We look to the world around us, and we see 30-second highlight reels depicting the most ideal life. Thanks to hyper-accurate algorithms, no one is safe, every desire is calculated and curated into content that will leave you empty and questioning who you are and what you have. The result of this creates a disposition that feels inadequate, we carry this anxiety everywhere we go, and the determined ones realize action is needed and search for routes to attain what they desire. Some convince themselves the only route is to gamble and hope for the best. Either way, there is a chase at play, a quest for more. Some, frankly, just live to ensure the lights stay on. Once a level of comfort is attained, autopilot is turned on, and the years start to pass by, but a hope still remains for better days.

Returning to the question of when does life begin? With confidence, I will tell you, your life began when you took your first breath. Ever since then, you have had many moments to live. There is a trap we fall into once we reach a certain age, where we vacate the present and live in the idea of the future. The present becomes an interim period, which we believe is only temporary. We engage in activities, not knowing that our time is running out—that we won't have this day again. Before we know it, so much time has elapsed that we ask ourselves: where did it all go?

But with most things, balance is integral. A hedonistic lifestyle may provide some semblance of pleasure, but how long is it possible before pleasure turns into pain? An absolute attention to either the present or the future is dangerous. We must appreciate the present with great respect while also recognizing that the future is inevitable. Faltering on one will only lead to a state of neuroticism.

In conclusion, long for the future, but without being cliché—seize the day! Life has begun, you have made it.