Reason to Claim

I started to think seriously about this, only recently. Why do I wake up everyday to go to work? Why do I go to school after work, when I am really tired? Why do I call my friends and family every now and then to check up on them?

Easy answers are: well, because I enjoy my job. I go to school because I like learning and I’d like to improve upon my skills and perhaps make progress on my career path. I call my friends and family because I care about them and I want them to know that.

The truth is that you can hear these answers from anyone. But no one will tell you: I go to work because I need money and I am afraid that I die on the street if I don’t work! I go to school because I am greedy and I want a better position at work! I call my friends and family because I am afraid that they don’t love me anymore and abandon me!

Honestly, between you and me, why do we do the things that we do? Are we afraid of homelessness, hunger, abandonment, loneliness and ultimately death? Are our lives driven by fear and greed?

There are lots of other questions I can ask that could lead to the same answers. Why do we get married, buy a house and have kids? Are we afraid of the truth: we are selfish, timid and greedy creatures?

Let me share a secret with you. The most popular, powerful and wealthy people in this world, at some point must have felt the loneliest, most fearful and unfortunate. On the opposite side, Gandhi is a rare example of someone who felt rich and powerful deep inside his heart.

I am looking for something in my life that can not be explained by my fear and my greed. Something that proves I deserve the title “human being”: A good deed, a selfless act, some sacrifice or something above all daily activities. I need a better reason to live.

I’ll keep you posted when I am sure I have found the right reason to claim life.