All We Have Are Instants

We’re made up of instants, fleeting moments, and a succession of memories. We’re time travelers, in a fraction of the world where we built our lives as if they would last forever. In reality, we’re temporary. We’re like traces in the sand that the waves could wash away at any moment. But despite that, we continue to believe that we’re made of cement.

We fixate on the things that have hurt us, lament what we don’t have, and take what we do have for granted. We let time pass us by, forgetting that nothing is eternal – neither the things you love, nor the things that have hurt you. Because in reality, we’re just a succession of fleeting moments.

We want everything at once. We don’t give ourselves time to breathe. Everything is fast-paced and nothing is enjoyed. In the world of fast food, speed dating, and busy schedules, we’ve lost perspective on the value of time, worrying more about suffering than the pleasure of the simple things in life.

We don’t know how to live in the moment

We’re crazy people who don’t know how to live in the moment. We prefer to rush by, looking at the ground instead of enjoying where we are. We prefer to run to our destinations instead of walking and breathing in our surroundings. We prefer to let time escape through our fingertips than to hold onto the moment tightly and experience it without fear.

We want everything in a hurry because there’s always something more important, something beyond enjoying the present moment. We forget to enjoy what we have, because we never stop long enough to notice it. We live in a tunnel of time, a dark tunnel with a single light at the end that prevents us from seeing our surroundings, pushing us blindly towards the uncertain future.

We’re instants who think we’re eternal. We’re instants who don’t enjoy what we have around us. We act like there’s enough time to enjoy the good things when in reality, they’re slowly slipping away.

Masochists content to suffer

Instead, when we’re hurt, we become masochists and cling to the suffering. We immerse ourselves in the pain and complain as if there were nothing else in the world but our own problems. The pain makes us blind, prevents us from seeing all there is for us out there.

We pick at our wounds instead of looking for solutions. Our conversations become monotonous because we obsess over whatever hurt us. We’re less fleeting when we’re suffering; we become eternal and damaged.

In this black hole of suffering, where we’re content to stay, we close our eyes to the light that leads us away from our problems because that’s all we’re capable of feeling, since we always let the good things slip away. We forget to remind ourselves that we’re fleeting and pain is also fleeting. 

If all we have are instants, let’s live them without fear

Therefore, it’s better to remind ourselves that if all we have are instants, it’s best to live those instants fully and without fear. We choose how we spend each moment. We can say whether the glass is half full or half empty. Both stances are correct, but the most optimistic one is the one that will make you enjoy life more.

Remember that everything passes, everything changes, and everything can be changed. You can choose how you experience your own situations, both the good and the bad. You can enjoy every present moment without letting it escape from you, and you can escape from suffering without letting it trap you. Just accept both as they are.

You decide how to spend every moment, how to paint every memory, and how to accept every experience. You live your life and shape your present. Only you can choose whether to enjoy every step of the journey or cling to your fears.

Only you can prevent yourself from needing to ask for more time to do the things you haven’t done when you reach your end. Nobody can add time to your clock. Moments pass, and you choose whether to take advantage of them or let them slip away. Every second counts, so live them and don’t look back. Live them, or you’ll regret it.