A reason to exist

We may have all been there. We may have all reached a point in our lives where the only thing we could feel is an overwhelming sense of despair and misery. We know we are already there when our fear of tomorrow exceeds whatever strength we possess, when we accept that our problems no longer have a solution and when the pain of living outweighs the reasons to keep going. This means we have reached the threshold of surrender. And we begin to contemplate that a final course of action has become the one remaining thing left to do.  

When we find ourselves on the precipice of self-obliteration, it will take all our strength to step back from this chasm of no return. But what if we have no strength left to do so? Then we need to find a purpose greater than ourselves. We need to be constantly reminded that we do not exist in a vacuum; that we live connected to other people. Ultimately, our existence is not ours alone. Rather, our lives are inextricably intertwined with one another.

We may not be constantly aware of the fact that there are people who feel we are necessary to them. They are the individuals who are stronger because we believed in them, because we have served as their role models and because we were there when they needed us. These are individuals whose lives we have touched. They are the people whose lives are better because of us.

When we start to believe that we have lost our reason to keep going, let us think of the people who need us and whose lives will be irrevocably changed because we decided to leave them behind.