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Just Shelley

Death by a thousand paper cuts

I’ve always had this thought at the back of my mind that we would live forever if it weren’t for life intruding.

Aside from the effects of our environment, of gravity and solar radiation and our proclivity in fouling our own nests, we could live much longer than we do except that we keep persisting in wanting to kill ourselves off with life.

If we didn’t care about about geographical boundaries, we wouldn’t fight to preserve or gain them. And if we didn’t believe in religion or philosophy, we wouldn’t feel the need to protect them with our lives. Or the need to fight to force others to believe as we believe.

And love. If we didn’t love others we could live ever so much longer. There would be no worries, no care, no long nights and silent mornings. No grief when love dies, no sadness and loss when love goes unfulfilled. An eternity stretches out in front of us if it weren’t for love.

We connect to others in friendship, and this is a real danger to life. Every time we become concerned about others—feel their pain, listen to their stories—we take away a minute, hour, or day of life.

Death by a thousand thousand paper cuts.

There should be a disclaimer attached to life:

Warning: When you care about others, your life will be well lived.

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