Living And Celebrating

DHS 139



How about a few interesting Albert Einstein quotes?

"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

(And while he didn't 'say' it, this was on the sign he had hanging on his office wall)
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

Al's right, until you can get outside of yourself, outside of your ego, outside of all those thoughts and ideas about who you are, you aren't living, only eating and breathing enough to stay alive. I have often talked about the difference between existing and living and am always surprised when i meet people who don't seem to understand the difference.

It's trips like this TransAm ride, or the Shikoku Henro Trail, or the trek to Everest Base Camp that allow me to see the difference the most clearly. While on the trail, you are forced to face life straight on, look her right in the eyes and deal with her smiles or anger, whatever she feels like dishing out that day. There is no running inside and locking the doors, there is not running to the car to escape the weather — there is just you, what you happen to have with you at that moment, the willingness to accept the situation, the will power to see it through, and the confidence in yourself to stand tall and persevere.

That's life. And that's where you realize that not everything that's counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted. All the friendly people you meet. All the smiles you see. All the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. All the music. All the flowers. Their infinite numbers of colors and smells. All the rainbows. All the ice cream cones on the side of the road. All of those moments sitting on a rock overlooking another outrageously beautiful view. All those evenings when you go to bed after a very difficult day telling yourself 'I did it!'

Al was right, we are all but dead when we lose sight of the mystery that life is. We have gazillions of theories, equations, and formulas, but they really do nothing by explain what we think life is. However, the true story is behind those theories, equations, and formulas. These paint a beautiful landscape that can captivate everyone who looks at it, but the smart one's realize it is still a painting and take a peek behind the easel. That's where your real life is.

So don't stop questioning. Never give up asking 'Why?' Never give up searching. Never give up stretching yourself. Never give up experiencing. Never give up curiosity, even when people tell you to stop asking why. Never surrender your soul. Always aim for the ultimate. Know that in return for never surrendering you will be granted the ultimate prize — a life worth living and celebrating.