Living to Feel Alive
We live to feel alive. Speeding to feel the risk of breaking a law, gambling to question stability, drinking to hinder our inhibitions, and building our finances to gain control. Greed and lust are two of the most prominent sensations that drive us as a society and contribute significantly to this nation’s economic stability. Sensations are what we live for. We live for heightened emotions, intense feelings, pleasurable moments, and self gratification. But are these sensations what we live for? Or are our sensations controlling how we live- almost taking over our lives?
The expression “I want to feel alive again” usually precedes the act of some extreme sensational, adrenaline driven activity. So much of the sensations that drive our day are empty, dragging us into our own suffering. The factor of sensation will always be in the equation of human consciousness- however, we can work toward obtaining consciousness that transcends the realm of sole sensation. When we cling to the existence of things, the gratification of actions- this gives rise to an endless chain of clinging, clinging that is bound to transparent satisfaction- branded together by our own self inflicted affliction. We are never satisfied.
We cannot remove ourselves from this human equation and it is difficult to break the links that make up this chain- but we should reevaluate what types of sensations are driving us to live. Run to feel your legs move beneath you, climb to stretch the muscles in your back, scream to feel the veins in your neck tighten, and stand in the sun to feel the heat open your every pore.
