#Schopenhauer

This poem was inspired by a quote from German Existentialist Arthur Schopenhauer -

"The shortness of life, so often lamented, may be the best thing about it."

When I first read this I interpreted it through a completely wrong lens and saw it as saying to celebrate death for it is what "saves" us from life. Or maybe that life being short is good because it ends the suffering experienced in life. However, after a few years of perspective shifts and personal development I see this totally differently now. The longevity of life, when used as a means to be slothful and unproductive, can also be lamented. This shortness of life should NOT be seen as a negative. Rather, it gives us a reason for doing things. One cannot sit around and hope to be what they want for themselves. It took me a long time to come to this conclusion, and although I still am having a hard time fully actualizing this in my life currently, I am glad I can see the shortness of life as something to be grateful for. An eternity of life would produce immense amounts of boredom and invite more chaos into the order we try to set up for ourselves.