“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”
~James Dean
When comparing this quote to the media, I have to think of a few things, like songs and books. The song that I have stuck in my head from time to time is “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw. This song is talking about when Tim’s father died, he had a whole new view of life, and realized how little time he really had to accomplish everything that he wanted to do. The song goes: “I went skydiving, I went rocky mountain climbing, I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu, and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'. And he said some day I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dyin'.” Obviously, this man had extraordinary dreams that he wanted to be made into reality, and he knew that if he didn’t live like every day was his last, he would never have accomplished any of it. Another thing that I can compare this quote to would be would be the book “A Child Called ‘It’”. This is a terrible, yet inspiring story of a young boy who was abused by his mother, and ignored by the rest of his family. He dreams of a life filled with love and hope, and every day he deals with his torment the best he can. Eventually he becomes free when his teacher becomes concerned and calls the police. The bravery of this little boy with the willingness to dream big, and make the best of every day was the thing that helped him to survive.
The greatest people in the world may not be the smartest, or the richest, or the most dangerous. The people who are the greatest are the ones that inspire us every day. The people who do good for others, and don’t complain about life. These are the ones that look at each day like another chance. Another opportunity to make their life better, to achieve more, or dream a better dream. Wonderful beings like this all over the world are the ones that show us what it is like to really have a great life. Tremendous things can come about when you take chances. People that think like this are the ones that have the biggest dreams. The dreamers in life are the ones that have fun and know how to live. The word impossible is simply not applied to their lives. Harriet Tubman, one of the greatest and most influential dreamer and risk taker in American history, once said: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
In my life, I live by a motto, “Live the life you love, love the life you live, no regrets.” I found that once I realized that life really is short, I knew that I wanted to make the best of it. I wanted to one day replay every minute and never regret a thing. I have already put this frame of mind to work a few times. This summer, I went camping in the Poconos, and a few people from the camp were going cliff jumping. I thought ‘wow what an amazing experience!’, but as i gazed off that 45 foot cliff into the black water, I was thinking otherwise. Just before I jumped (after about 20 minutes of clutching the rock next to me, shaking) a thought came to my head. I told myself over and over, “no regrets” (haha, and thought of how much I would get made fun of if I chickened out), said a prayer, and jumped. I felt the rush of air, my mind blank, and kept expecting my toes to feel the cold water long before they actually did, but eventually made a splash in the water below. When I surfaced I heard the cheers of my friends, and immediately was proud of myself for overcoming my fear. Looking back on this experience, I can check another thing off my bucket list, and know that if I hadn’t dreamed of being fearless, or thought about how little time everyone has, I would have never done it. As I continue through my life, making so many choices that I know will shape me as a person, I know that I need to dream as if I’ll live forever, and live as is I’ll die today. No regrets.
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