I’d like to believe I’m not the sappy type. I want to brag that I don’t entirely care for romantic comedies, the celebration of Valentine’s Day or sunset picnics. I’d like to say poetry is obnoxious and and dark chocolate is foul. I think roses are far too expensive and burning a CD of love songs wastes an opportunity to burn a mix-tape of 80’s rock.

The problem is, I’m a sap. I’m a closet sap. I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” and it was God-awful. Not awful because the cast or acting was poor. It wasn’t an unfortunate film because the plot was sub-par. I didn’t particularly enjoy the film because I bawled like a sixteen year old girl when it ended, which isn’t something grown men are particularly fond of, but, alas, I became a puddle.

Beyond the fact that I believed the movie to be another Steve Carell comedy, I tried to think about and explain why I felt so strongly about the film. I think it mainly got to me because everyone in the movie had a different reaction to their impending doom. Some people chose to continue mowing their lawns as they always did; some ran from their spouses; some took the time to be with their family; others tried to cram in a bucket list. It’s crazy to think how people react in their final hours or when they believe it to be their final hours. You act irrationally when compared to your normal behavior because somehow, the idea of impending doom in life manifests itself into the energy to finally accomplish everything you wanted to do without guilt or fear.

You think you know where I’m going with this; I’m not saying we should simply act ludicrously and without law, but the idea that “life is too short” is generally stated by people with too little time, to those who don’t entirely want to listen. The statement begs the question of “what is the meaning of life” or generally, what is the purpose for any of us being here? Albert Einstein once wrote “The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.”

Maybe I’m just a random person in the world, not fully knowledgeable on all that life has to offer, but I’d like to believe we could all live a little more. I don’t believe life is meaningless. I don’t believe in a what-is-the-point-attitude or excuses like “no one will miss me when I’m gone.” Whether or not you believe in some type of after life, you’re hear now. You’re reading this. You have a purpose. We have a purpose.

You don’t need a precise answer to life’s meaning to have a reason to get up every morning to try and make the world a little brighter; to impact someone; to make a change. Fretting about an inevitable end isn’t going to make your time here any more enjoyable. Quite honestly, trying to comprehend the point of life into a cohesive one-sentence summary isn’t spending your time wisely either. It’s not an easy answer and sometimes the thoughts that come with it are scary, which push us to act without thinking. Life is complicated, but you just keep going. I’m not entirely sure what the other side holds, but the opportunity to wake up and feel the warmth of sun on your face or the crispness of a morning frost can’t be felt six-feet under. People hypothesizing about the after-life basically think there’s either nothing or something better. You are doing no one harm in living every day to the fullest. You are doing no harm in smiling a little more, worrying a little less, and having more courage to say things you feel before it’s too late.

Letting go of the worry and anxiety that make people sit around thinking about the “other side,” won’t do you harm. If anything, it’ll probably make you feel better. You can focus on something a little more recognizable and understandable. You can focus on things you have control of. You control your ability to take a breath; to take a breath and move on to things that matter. No matter why we’re here or however long we get to be, enjoy it. Remember it. Live it. You only have one chance to make it worth anything, if you’re so set on doing so.

So go do it.

To watch the trailer “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” click here.

To read more on Einstein’s beliefs click here.