This question is a central part of human existence–do we want to live forever?

If we look into the depths of history, we will find that we have always been obsessed with immortality. In ancient India, kings performed Yajnas (sacred rituals), or retreated to deep forests to immerse themselves in Tapasya (fasting and meditating for months) so that the Gods would grant them the boon of immortality. In ancient China, emperors sent entire fleets searching for an “elixir of immortality” so that they could live forever.

Today, we are as obsessed with stretching time as we were all those years ago. Anti-aging routines. Biohacking. Longevity supplements. Anything to look younger, stay younger, and live longer than others.

And I get it. It’s natural to want to live longer. I hope for the same for myself. My life is going well. I have a career that I love and that gives me a decent living. I have a loving family–my wife—who is my college sweetheart—and my son, who has filled my heart with joy. To live a healthy life and perhaps extend it, I’m doing what’s safe and possible for me: taking supplements, following diets, working out, and practicing skincare. So, if you ask me–do you want to live forever? My answer would be ‘Yes’.

But it was not always the same for me. There was a time in my life when I wanted out. I wanted my life to end–an accident, an overdose, anything to be relieved of my pain and misery. If you would have asked me then–do you want to live forever? My answer would be ‘No’.

And today–when I close my eyes, envision both versions of myself: the younger one who was angry, confused and had given up on life and the older one who takes care of himself, because he is secure, happy, and living a full life–I know in my heart that if you will ask me today–do you want to live forever? I would give you a shrug of the shoulders and an “I don’t know”.

Because after years of contemplation, I am finally fully aware of the fundamental truth of life–time is not constant; it changes, and so do our circumstances and our lives. We might be living the best life, but in one instant, we can lose someone close and lose ourselves. We can be eating healthy, working out every day, but then suddenly one diagnosis and our lives can change forever. I also know that someone who seems like a lost cause–angry, disillusioned, and broken–can still change and rebuild their life. No time and stage in life is permanent - the good times or the bad ones, they all change with time.

Over time, I have also come to understand, value and fear the judgment of time. I have had a realisation that time is the all-powerful force that governs every fibre of our lives. It was time that showed arrogant kings that they were nothing more than a brief moment in history. It was time that showed the poor, the ones who struggled, that it rewards patience and persistence at the right time.

So, now I live my life in peace with time. I live with this constant truth that the worst times in life always get over, and the good times we enjoy never last forever.