The Celebration of Life

What's the point of taking life so seriously? The more seriously you take life, the more it will tangle around you like a net. Some people are like fish—they only get caught in nets.

Life must be seen through clear glass. If you clutter the glass with too many complications, you can't see life at all. Keep life tangled in complexities, and you'll be out—caught in life's own trap!

The day you feel like standing at a three-way intersection and eating fuchka—don't rush off to eat fuchka that very day, no matter how urgent your work! If your means allow it, fulfilling desires is the most urgent work of all.

The day your heart wants to play football with the neighborhood kids, start playing. Let whoever says "the old man's gone senile" say what they will. Some people are born to criticize—that's what they're here for!

The happiness you'll find in these small acts—you might not get even a fraction of it eating at a five-star hotel buffet.

Who will say what, who will think what—let others worry about these things. Let whoever wants to think whatever they please, let whoever wants to say whatever they wish—you do what makes your heart happy. For happiness, even seven hundred murders are forgiven!

Happiness is relative. Sometimes money truly cannot buy happiness. The happiness that money cannot buy—that becomes the most precious. One day you'll have lots of money, but you won't have the money to buy happiness.

You'll find the key to this kingdom of precious happiness by ignoring the grammar of conventional living. Each life is different, each way of living unique. Spread the wings of desire and trample a few rules underfoot. Go beyond the rules and do some spontaneous, rule-breaking things. Rules that harm no one when broken, but help you stay well—those are meant to be broken!

Whether you spend your whole life being a good boy or good girl, society will find fault with you. Whether you break a few rules, society will still find fault. If breaking rules helps you feel a little better about yourself, what's the harm in that?

Spend a large portion of your income purely on yourself—do your favorite thing or buy your favorite item. Wear that expensive outfit or watch and wander around as you please for a day. If no one wants to be your companion, become your own companion. Most companions will only think of buying their own happiness at the price of yours. Why should you pay that price?

Suddenly invite your friends over one day and throw a party as you wish. What rules! What restrictions! No need to take pictures, no need to share any of this. Life is not Facebook. Those whose entire lives are on Facebook have only two emojis in their lives: tears and anger. Don't scatter all your personal happiness on Facebook—people fundamentally prefer to see others unhappy. Your happiness is others' pain!

People say "family, family" and spend ninety percent of their time and effort solely on family. Even if they wanted to spend the remaining ten percent on themselves, they often can't due to exhaustion, social complications, or lack of time. Yet see—people receive their life's greatest sorrows from family members. The ones you'd garland with flowers will grab you by the throat given the chance.

Those for whom you'd give everything will misunderstand you all their lives. Having eaten your food and worn your clothes, they'll force you to live in fear. You who hold your head high before the entire world must live hidden before your family, head bowed. Do you deserve it?

We have only this one half-burnt life, yet ninety percent of it we burn and waste away for others! Then what's the meaning of this birth? What's the purpose of this existence?

Live! Live for yourself as you wish for a day or two. Spend half your income on yourself. Those you'd carry on your head will crush you underfoot in the end.

In some portion of your spent time, if you feel like it, walk carelessly on the street, cook your favorite food, or close your room door and dance to your favorite song or lie flat on your back. It's a short life—live it before it ends!

Give yourself some time to live too. Instead of living only for others, sometimes celebrate in honor of your own lifespan. Buy yourself a birthday cake and devour it alone. To those who say you're wasting money celebrating birthdays, buy another birthday cake and throw it in their faces. It's your life—if you can find minimal happiness for yourself by wasting some time, spending some money unnecessarily, and breaking some rules, then do it.

Learn to act with your family when necessary to keep yourself happy. In this world, lovers, wives, and families cannot tolerate truth—especially truth that keeps you well! Family doesn't always think about your happiness—they only think about how much happiness you can give them. When people are happy, they forget even their creator, and there you are just a trivial burden-bearing ox!

Better to tear pillows in celebration during broad daylight than to cry into them in midnight sorrow.

Life is singular—you won't get a second chance to return to this world. One day you'll discover that the life you're passing without living isn't the problem—rather, the unlived life is your greatest loss, greatest waste, greatest regret. There is no greater loss in human life than an unlived life. The sorrow of being unable to use your capacity for doing what you could do is far greater than the sorrow of not being able to do your favorite work.