Week 82 - "We are always getting ready to live but never living" - Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I returned to college this week, i’ve seen a pretty drastic shift in how I lived my life over the past three months compared to what I’m doing now.
Part of it could be that my priorities have shifted in the new environment, but the more I reflect, the more I believe it’s because I’m aware that this environment is temporary.
Let me clarify.
Right now, I’m surrounded by people from all over the world, united by the fact that we attend the same school. I also have fewer responsibilities and more freedom than I’ll likely ever have again.
And yes, I know—this sounds like a recipe for disaster. But I think that’s only true if you forget that college is just four years. After that, things get a lot more real.
I’m saying this because I’ve started to question whether it’s okay to live in a way that doesn’t align with my long-term vision, simply because it’s a lifestyle that won’t be possible after this phase of life.
I realize asking if it’s “okay” might seem a bit silly because it ultimately comes down to what I believe is the right choice, but it’s something I think about frequently.
Some of you might think I’m just trying to justify living a “college” lifestyle, and honestly, you might be right. But if I know this lifestyle is temporary, I don’t know if I want to optimize for a stage of life I have yet to be in. That is, how I’ll live my life after these years.
This doesn’t just apply to my situation. Everyone is in a temporary stage of life, but if one was to optimize for the next stage instead of the one they’re in, they’d never really be where their feet are.
And I understand the importance of striving to become the person you envision for the future, but I do think it’s pretty important to understand that you don’t get to be who you are right now forever. So if you’re still working to improve yourself, I see nothing wrong with enjoying who and where you are right now.
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