We are all faced with expectations; oftentimes defined by the achievements of the people we see around us. In the quest to unite these expectations with our systems of survival, we are sometimes criticised for not being agitated enough, despite how serious and involved we think we are. This never waning comparison has, thus, become a discouragement as it triggers a domino of questions such as- “who might I have offended? Have I been moving in the wrong direction? Is there a secret ritual I am yet to perform? I am ageing; how many years do I have left to actualize my dreams? How about those beautiful houses I once imagined? And the exotic cars I pictured? Why have I not made it?” etc. Like water, tears roll down your face with ease and without thought, you ask, “why?”.

In this article, I will be succinct as I emphasise on the issues that I believe are pertinent to finding the answers to the questions that plague you. I won’t stretch my explanations and at the end of this essay, you should be able to glean facts and interpret them with an authentic mind. In all my years as a philosophical writer, I have come to realise that the older you become, the deeper your thoughts; although some might argue that there are elders whose thinking are still pegged in mediocrity. I believe that a mature mind should be able to think things through as he or she grows older, and I will analyse that in this article. I have demarcated them into subtopics and have called it “the 4th candidate”. These four subtopics, are as follows:

1. Existence.
2. Where you want to be.
3. Deliberate mountains.
4. Human life- not the same as Life.

THE LAW OF EXISTENCE
There is one fact about existence that only a few people are aware of. I consider it to be a cogent subject matter. Some have assumed that existence is merely a word created to while away time until an assumed eternity comes. But guess what? True existence is living a life without stress, such that everything you hope for comes easy, without prejudice and compromise. You might wonder if this kind of life can truly be an existence, especially since the majority of the world is living with such bleakness. It can be tiring to continue to hear of ideals like these while it feels as if the gates of heaven are shut against you. Remember, the realisation of true existence gives the hope of a better option. The question is- how do you get there from here?

WHERE YOU WANT TO BE
Your existence is defined by the real you; nobody else. Picture your most perfect life- where do you want to be? Is it a world you have dreamed up for yourself, guided by your true desires and ideals or is it a world built off of people’s expectations? Have you considered that maybe your current reality is where you’re meant to be? The answers to these questions are anchored on your life’s perspective. Where you are might seem static but sometimes, that period may be the turning point to progress.
To move or not to move are decisions that need to be backed by good advisors to avoid blaming the devil when a mistake has been made. What we blame the devil for, are oftentimes careless erring on our part. To overcome this, some will say you must encounter deliberate mountains that are designed to sharpen and adjust your perspective.

DELIBERATE MOUNTAINS
Mountains are like obstacles; some are meant to be confronted while some are meant to be dodged. The problem with confrontation is that when trying to sail through, you must either be defeated by the mountain or defeat the mountain. A mountain in this context is not like in business where it is synonymous to risk. Real life mountains have no mercy because they are designed to shorten a man’s life. Yet, one must confront them without prejudice. After all, they are a part of life, aren’t they? The question then is, how do you tend to defeat these deliberate mountains? Especially since mountains reinforce stronger when they are not defeated. Rather than avoid them, you must charge at them with boldness informed by your capacity, not by encouragement from a motivational speaker.

HUMAN LIFE-NOT THE SAME AS LIFE
It is commonly said in human society that “life is too short”. The aforementioned statement has been at the top of the market in the world of aphorisms and many people have fallen on this path. I wonder, how can life be short when we all meet life in this world? To say life is short implies that life itself can be killed or eliminated when life has never stopped, not even for once. Think about it for a moment. Life is the normal accessibility to everything; human life is what makes humankind different from all things. It gives us the ability to exercise power on things and that makes us unique from other species. How then, can human life be the same as life? We can then agree that it is human life that is short and not life itself.

ADDENDA TO PONDER
Why is my existence important? Where do I want to be? Are mountains necessary in this life? What does my human life have to do with Life as a whole? These questions should be imprinted on your mind. Today is also yesterday if there are no changes made. These four questions might seem like simple thoughts that have been cross checked countless times, but how often do we ponder on the utility of our lives? What I seek to do in any of my articles is to process my thoughts in such a way that communicates the vitality of my experiences. I too have my shortcomings and have pondered on the answers to these questions myself.

Human life is a pivotal aspect of existence and only a few realise this luxurious essence. If you feel that you haven’t achieved anything at your age, don’t feel pressured. At this point, wouldn’t you rather discover the purpose of where you are than tirelessly pine for where you want to be? You can’t separate essence from existence. For every journey you embark on and every phase of life you encounter, there is a purpose. Human life gives us the opportunity to excel and flourish, but when the canopy of success doesn’t fall over our path, we tend to get worrisome in our hearts and stir up thoughts like, “what have done to deserve this?”. As frequent as the highs and lows might be, do not let despair become your companion. The essence of your existence will surely make itself known in the process.

I wish to continue to express myself and give you instances but I will end here. I hope by now you have been able to glean the crux of the points I have made. I am not a motivational speaker, but I choose to talk about what I believe would work. As I put it below:

With the manner at which the world is going, oppression & depression, amongst other things, would continue to take the glory. Some believe that a messiah is coming to set them free. For others, there is no afterlife, no duplicate anywhere. Everyone is correct within their territory.
The moment you realise the essence of your existence, you will know where you want to be, you will see the encountering of deliberate mountains as normalcy, and you will change your notion about life. You must know what you are living for, as nothing is sweeter than the truth.