How to Know if You Are Alive
How to know if you are dead.
If you are asking yourself this question at this very moment, I am saddened to tell you that, unfortunately, you are alive. But if you are still unsure, allow me to present four wondrous steps that will prove to you that you are, indeed, living.
Step One: Breathe.
Inhale the majestic air granted to you by God, Buddha, Allah, Mother Nature, or whichever deity you hold dear. Breathe in the pure, crystalline air of the forests; the tainted smog of the cities; the searing, parched air of the deserts; or the salt-heavy mist of the ocean. Draw in the oxygen; revel in the involuntary grace of your diaphragm as it pulls life from the atmosphere.
Step Two: Move.
Shift your flesh, your bone, and your marrow. Command your body to walk, to swim, to climb. Explore the world—the woods, the concrete jungles, the dunes, and the deep. Feel the creak of your bones, the tension of your joints stretching, the sudden tightening of your muscles. Move every fiber of your being.
Step Three: Feel.
Awaken your senses. Gaze upon the towering giants of the forest; listen to the piercing roar of the city; endure the desert’s heat and taste the brine of the sea. Love, hate, weep, run, flee—and feel yourself free. Feel the brush of the leaves, the press of the crowd, the sting of the sand, and the rush of the water against your skin.
Or, quite simply: feel.
Step Four: Think.
Reflect on how you arrived at this precipice. Think of all you have done, all you have achieved, and all you have lost. Dwell on the past and the present; on the now and the yesterday. Contemplate why you ought to be alive, or why you believe yourself to be dead.
Or, just think of anything at all that makes you happy.
If you can manage at least three of these four steps, let me assure you: you are likely still alive.
“I think, therefore I am.”
— René Descartes…
…"
–“Continue reading and experience the original text in Spanish at https://fictograma.com/. Join our open-source community of writers today!”–