COLUMN: Living life to the fullest

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By Kristian Fors

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

Last summer I read a book called Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson. The book detailed the journey of two treasure hunters that were searching for a sunken pirate ship that was captained by a man named Joseph Bannister. The story of this captain is a peculiar one. Joseph Bannister was described as a “well-respected English gentleman.” He ran a shipping and trading route from London to Port Royal, Jamaica. He received a very hefty compensation for his efforts, the modern equivalent of millions of dollars. Then out of nowhere, despite the fact that he had all the money he could ever want, Bannister steals his own ship and turns pirate. Additionally, he does this despite the fact that the punishment for piracy was death. While piracy is clearly morally reprehensible, a principle can be drawn from this story. The only explanation is this: Joseph Bannister turned pirate out of a desire for adventure, self-ownership and freedom that is inherent in every individual. Joseph Bannister wanted to live life to the fullest.

A philosophical principle will often get summarized into a short expression known as a cliche or aphorism. The cliche will often be repeated to the point of ad nauseum. In the process of becoming wide spread, the original reason why that truth was important will become lost. The same phenomenon emerged when people started using the phrase “YOLO” or “you only live once.” In recent years, most of the time that YOLO has been used was in a joking or hyperbolic manner, indicating that the true meaning of this expression had become nullified. There is a deep truth to this expression, one that should be acknowledged in order to live to the fullest.

Life should be enjoyed. This doesn’t mean abducting from responsibility, but it does mean taking advantage of the wonderful opportunities in this life. Jack London once said that “the proper function of man is to live, not to exist.” It’s very easy to get drawn into the daily-motions that have been labeled colloquially as “the rat race.” Becoming an adult does not mean the complete rejection of all things exciting and fun. In my own adolescence, I had many friends who preferred to sit at home and do nothing rather than venture out into the world. In my opinion, this type of lax modern behavior is a tragedy. In fact, the call to adventure and enjoyment of life is one of many reasons that I loved doing the Boy Scouts when I was growing up. The quality of our lives is not based on the amount of money that we make, it is instead the cumulative result of our experiences.

Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer, reflected on mortality in his novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The theme of the text can be relayed in one single excerpt, “Ivan Ilyich’s life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible.” Complacency will lead to boredom and unfulfillment. In logotherapy, a psychotherapeutic process designed to help people find meaning in their own lives, psychiatrists will often instruct patients to imagine themselves on their deathbeds. On your deathbed, what will you regret having not done? It is entirely possible to go through life purely guided by the expectations of others. What an absolute tragedy it would be to look back on your life and realize that you did not live as you ought to have.

Realistically, death could come for anyone at anytime. Tomorrow is not a guarantee; therefore we must start living today.

Just like the pirate Joseph Bannister had to make the decision to change his course, we have to be purposeful about living life to the fullest. Go explore. Try new things. Learn new skills. Do things that push you past your comfort levels. See what it means to be human. As young adults, we likely have our whole lives ahead of us. We must not forsake this opportunity to live. You only live once.

Kristian Fors is a student at Utah State University majoring in Finance and Economics and is an opinion columnist for the Utah Statesman. He can be reached at krfors@gmail.com.