Skies Electric

This is not forever. Not this blog, not the computer you're reading it on, not the fingers controlling the mouse. Nothing. I have the habit of writing this phrase on things: walls, leafs, on pages in notebooks; everywhere. Why? Because it's true. You could spray paint it across the faces of Mount Rushmore, never remove it or cover it up, and it would still ring true. Not only will I not be here anymore one day, completely dissolved back into the earth, but everything I've ever done will be gone, too. Everyone I've ever known. Every building I've ever walked into, and book anyone has ever seen. Everything. EVERYTHING?! Yes!

Imagine 500,000 years from now. There will be no trace of mankind, except for some still-existing plastic materials. Think about it: the world has been here for 4.5 billion years. Written history started in 4000 BC, roughly, but think of all the time that came before the past 6,000 years. Even if you take off a billion years, assuming the Earth was uninhabitable for that long, that's still 3.5 billion years. 3,500,000,000 years. Divided by one period of 6,000 years, that's 583,333 of our written histories. Divide that by two, three, four, it's still a whole lot of time. You think one period of 6,000 years is going to be traceable 5 million years from now? No way, dude. Not by anyone.

Live for the moment. Live for the now. It's not much but it's all we have and all we ever will have. We're existing and afterwards it's going to be dark for a long time. Some times, when I want to feel more alive, I propose to myself the question: If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, what would I do differently in the next 24 hours? Spend time with my friends and family and loved ones, of course. Now what if it was a week instead of a day? I'd probably go nuts and see everyone I love and travel to the top of a mountain somewhere off the map. Now, what would change if I knew I was going to die in exactly a month? Most likely the same stuff, but a little more planned out, as to spend my last 31 days wisely. Now what If it was a year? Two years? I'd probably have to make a little money first, to support my travels and to pay for food and shelter, but then I'd do everything I've ever wanted to over that entire period, not really caring about anything too serious or boring or unnecessary. Now, what If you had a lifetime? Only one lifetime to until your dead? Ideally the same thing, right? Make enough money to support yourself, to be alive and well taken care of, and spend your time experiencing everything you want to while not taking life so goddamn seriously. Our life is all we have, and even that could disappear in unexpected moments.

Go ahead, get a job, pay taxes, subscribe to a newspaper and swim twice a week at your local pool, but never forget that this is your one shot, this is it. You have to do things now, you have to spend time as wisely and foolishly as you possibly can. Break rules, climb fire escapes, and run from authority. Because really, there is no authority. They just think they have more power than you do because someone told them they did and gave them a laminated badge. The world is yours. This is not forever. Go outside and just do it already.