Are You Living or Just Existing?

Let me ask you something, not in the dramatic, social media kind of way, but honestly, soul to soul.

When was the last time you felt truly alive?

Not productive. Not busy. Not entertained. But fully, deeply here ... so present you could feel the beat of your own aliveness?

Most days, it goes like this: alarm, phone, scrolling, caffeine, duties, logistics, screens. A routine that runs like clockwork. You get things done. You show up. You perform. And maybe, if you're lucky, there's a short-lived thrill. But under it all… there's a quiet voice asking:

Is this it?

You’re not crazy for wondering. In fact, if you’ve never asked that, maybe that’s the problem.

Because this isn’t about being depressed. It’s not about being lazy or broken or dramatic. It’s about being awake. Awake enough to notice the difference between functioning and actually living.

Let’s talk about that difference.

I. The Trap of Merely Existing

"Existing" isn’t some grand failure. It’s what happens when life gets swallowed by habit.

You go through the motions. You follow the rules. You do what everyone else is doing. But you don’t question much. You don’t look too closely. You stay in the shallow end where it’s safe, quiet, numbing.

Eat. Work. Scroll. Sleep. Repeat.

It works. Until it doesn’t.

The philosopher Camus had a name for this existential dissonance: the absurd. He said we live with a deep need for meaning, but the world doesn’t hand us answers. We search, and the universe stays silent.

That silence? It’s haunting. And it scares the hell out of us.

So we run from it. We fill our heads with noise, notifications, distractions, appointments, anything but stillness.

But underneath it all, the question waits:

Is this all I’m here for?

II. Living Takes Intention

Living, really living, isn’t the default.

It’s a choice. A posture. A refusal to coast.

It means waking up to your own existence. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. It means saying, “No, I’m not going to just pass the time. I’m going to feel it.”

The Greeks had a term for this: eudaimonia. It’s not just “happiness.” It’s human flourishing. A life filled with depth, value, and purpose.

Aristotle believed this kind of life wasn’t achieved by chasing thrills or achievements... but through reflection, growth, and moral courage.

It’s a life you build. Day by day. Moment by moment. Choice by choice.

III. When Comfort Becomes a Cage

Comfort can feel like freedom until you realize it’s keeping you stuck.

We’re wired to seek ease. But too much ease dulls us. It smooths out the rough edges of our curiosity and courage.

Pascal said, long before smartphones, that humans struggle to sit alone in silence. Still true. Maybe truer now than ever.

And it’s not silence that scares us. It’s what we might hear inside it.

So we distract ourselves. We reach for the familiar. We keep moving. But deep down, we know: comfort without meaning is just a prettier version of stagnation.

IV. The Age of Numbness

We live in a time designed for distraction. Everything’s optimized for speed, stimulation, and satisfaction.

But not for presence.

Algorithms feed us what we want before we even know we want it. Workplaces worship the hustle. Social media tells us who to be, how to look, what to want.

And somewhere in the chaos, we disappear.

We become performers in our own lives. Outwardly “doing well,” inwardly empty.

Kierkegaard warned about this. He said the real danger isn’t losing your life: it’s losing yourself without realizing it.

And let’s be honest: that’s happening to a lot of people right now.

V. The Call to Wake Up

So, what’s the other path?

It’s not dramatic. It’s not flashy. It’s not something you post about.

It’s simple.

You choose to wake up.

You slow down. You listen. You begin noticing things again: your breath, your heartbeat, the strange ache in your chest when you hear a certain song.

You start asking questions, not just about your schedule, but about your soul.

The Stoics did this every day. They reminded themselves of their mortality, not to be grim, but to stay grounded. To keep perspective. To feel their lives, not just fill them.

This isn’t a rehearsal. It’s your one shot.

VI. Signs You’re Just Existing

Let’s be blunt. Here are a few red flags:

• You’re always busy, but rarely satisfied.

• You fill every silence with stimulation.

• You’ve stopped being curious.

• You don’t feel fully here, even when nothing’s wrong.

• You keep saying “someday.”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken.

But you might be asleep.

And waking up doesn’t mean quitting your job or moving to the mountains. It can start with five minutes of silence. A journal entry. A long, honest walk. A moment where you say no when everything in you wants to people-please.

One small act of presence is all it takes to crack the shell.

VII. Living Is a Risky Business

To live is to open yourself to pain. That’s the truth.

You can’t truly live without risking heartbreak, embarrassment, rejection, failure. But the flip side is this: you can’t love, grow, or marvel without risk either.

Anaïs Nin nailed it: "The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Comfort keeps you safe. But living? That’s where the wild things are.

VIII. Meaning Isn’t Found. It’s Made.

We wait for some external sign to give our lives meaning.

But here’s the twist: there is no “meaning fairy” dropping by to hand you a script.

Sartre said existence precedes essence. We come into the world blank and carve ourselves into meaning by how we choose to live.

That’s scary. It’s also freeing.

No one’s coming to save you.

But you also don’t need saving.

You need direction. And you can give it to yourself.

IX. Use Death as a Mirror

Montaigne kept a skull on his desk. Not to be creepy. But to remember.

Life is short. Tomorrow is never promised. That truth isn’t meant to paralyze you. It’s meant to wake you up.

You don’t need a tragedy to start living. You don’t need a diagnosis or a rock-bottom moment.

Let this be enough.

X. You Were Meant for More

You weren’t built to be efficient.

You weren’t born to tick boxes.

You are here to feel. To stumble. To grow. To witness beauty. To mess up. To make amends. To create. To cry. To start again.

Life isn’t earned. It’s given.

But living? That’s your job.

And you don’t need to wait for a sign. This is it.

Right now.

Final Thought

So here we are.

Are you alive, or are you just… functioning?

That question’s not meant to shame you. It’s meant to invite you.

Start small. Start honest. Start today.

This isn’t about reinventing yourself. It’s about remembering who you’ve always been underneath the noise.

And it’s not too late. Not even close.

You’re still here.

Start living.