The Importance of Life

             It’s eleven o’clock on Sunday night. I know I should be placing my concentration on writing my blog post, but the Oscars are distracting me.

            While I do enjoy seeing the various awards, one sequence has always intrigued me more than others. The overhead lights begin to dim as an array of soft, golden sparkles blanket the stage. The somber, reflective music is cued, and the words “In Memoriam” appear on screen.  The “In Memoriam” montage is the only part of the Oscars that I actually watch with my full attention. Please, do not think I enjoy watching the obituary; I am merely fascinated by it. The entire careers of actors, actresses, and other important figures are condensed to a few seconds. It’s strange to think that the importance of your entire life is based on your contribution to the world. In order to be remembered, you have to accomplish something memorable.

            A lot of my Sunday involved the dead, death, or the act of dying. In Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth,” Woolf expresses how death cannot be avoided. Although the moth embodies life itself, even he cannot elude the arguably most important aspect of life. Death. Without an end to your life, you wouldn’t cherish the time you have on this earth. Death is a deadline, a confine, a boundary. It is the limitation of your existence and the termination of your consciousness.  I often hear the phrase, “Live life to the fullest,” which is a present use for “Carpe Diem.” You have the ability to do what you want with your life. In order to be eternal, you must make the choice to be remembered.