The dark side of living each day as if it were your last

I recently read someone’s Facebook post that had me laughing for a few minutes. This particular individual is quiet dark so most of their posts are dark, dark humor. Their post noted that if they were to indeed live each day as if it were their last, there would be lots of dead bodies lying around. It’s kind of funny. I mean, most people tell you to live each days as if it were your last in order to inspire you to greatness and to achieve greatness. Most would not ponder the darker side of telling you to live as if it were your last. Correct? Right?

Of course, in movies, those that are living their last day (either because they were poisoned and have only hours to live or they are from the future and know this is a suicide mission of sorts) often find purpose and love I those last 24 hours. What a shame to finally find purpose at the wee hours of life. Popular culture thus is telling us that as long as you find purpose (no matter when it is that you do) it was a good life. Makes me wonder why filmmakers get off on telling us such a tale. I suppose they are seeking fame and they too are in search of that purpose hoping it is intertwined with said fame they seek.

How does one go about living each day as if it were one’s last? Many would invoke such trite terms as if live for the moment and seize the day. Seize the day wasn’t always a trite term but when it is screamed about in twitter and attached to selfies that say #YOLO has the sentiment not become a bit trite? It appears to have become an excuse for being rude, selfish and at times outright mean. This #YOLO thing has become the total opposite of the often-portrayed movie hero who on his or her last day (mostly always his) was selfless, seeking to do some final good. Although, let’s be real the hero on his last day is always rude as well. There is something about living that day as if it were his last that frees the hero to just say and do anything.

Anyway, what if you were out skiing and were caught in an avalanche and were snowed under? What would you do? Well, I will tell you. You will try to find a way to stay warm, activate your smartphone GPS and start thinking through the key moments of your life. Thoughts of getting home and being with the family will keep you warm. Thoughts of changing your life course, quitting your job and taking off on a year-long sailing trip will keep your mind active. Thoughts of rum will make you thirsty and dream of those days on the beaches of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, even though you don’t care much for the beach. Yes, it seems to me that it is not living each day as if it were your last that will propel your forward. What will move you towards reaching your dreams is thinking for a few minutes of being caught in a situation that would be hard to get out of and then feeling the gratitude of being alive and planning out those steps that will show your gratitude for having lived through the night.

It’s a nuanced approach, I know. It’s just my thought of the day upon waking up and seeing the smile on my son’s face and seeing the fiery sun rise.