To be Opened in the Year: Forever

While skimming through my Psychology textbook, I luckily glanced at the following quote by a Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy.

"Why should I live? Why should I do anything? Is there in life any purpose which the inevitable death that awaits me does not undo and destroy?

-Leo Tolstoy (1904)

At first glance, I thought to myself that this guy was, first of all, pretty deep. After that, I thought that he was a pretty smart, bold character. However, after a few minutes, I decided that I couldn't possibly disagree with this Russian dude any more. This pessimistic, cold, obvious Communist forgot about one thing: Legacy.

My trusted Dictionary.com defines this term as, "Anything handed down from the past." And so, if we can leave a part of ourselves behind, death doesn't destroy all that we accomplish while we're alive. For example, every time someone does a physics problem, they use a unit of force called a Newton, named after Isaac Newton. I'm not sure who invented pizza, but at dinner earlier, I was glad that they had. Ironically, Tolstoy himself is being remembered right now, and therefore had some purpose that survived longer than his death did.

Thanks to my Psychology class, I know the main difference between Tolstoy and myself. He would be referred to as a monist, or believing that mind and body are one. I, on the other hand, am a dualist, meaning that I believe in a mind and body are two separate entities, and the mind can survive even while the body isn't intact. Like a time capsule, parts of ourselves will be left here forever.

That being said, it's clear that we have reason to live. We have purpose, reason to wake up in the morning, and reason to be motivated throughout the day. Well... let me rephrase myself. We have the opportunity to have these things. Whether or not we take advantage of it is another story. The question is not, "Why should I wake up today?" but rather, "What will I do today that they will remember tomorrow?"