A little over a year ago I was sitting in a bathroom stall between classes. Never would I have guessed that that would be the whereabouts in which I would find the meaning of life. Yes, while sitting there in that stall I looked up and there it was, written on the door. Someone had scribbled, “If we all die what is the point?”
That disheartening thought would have just been depressing if not followed by a simple but remarkable response. The response was only, “To live.”
So, to the kind stranger who responded to the original sad remark (though I do not think anyone should ever write on bathroom stalls), I appreciated the small token of kindness expressed in those two words. I mean we’ve all experienced the other end of the bathroom graffiti spectrum, and there is something nice about seeing considerate thoughts from an anonymous stranger rather than vulgar comments made by an asshole with a sharpie. Though it was in a bizarre setting, it taught me that the majority of life’s most meaningful moments come from the strangest places.
Contrary to the title of this article, I am not trying to write about the actual meaning of life. This story simply reaffirms my belief that maybe searching for the point is in fact pointless. We have all had our days when nothing seems to go right, but those days pass. There is really a lot to be said (even if it’s a cliché) for making the most of every moment.
All of those thoughts ran through my head that day while I was taking a piss and looking at that graffitied door. As unexpected as it was, I found the message rather reassuring. I mean really our college years are inevitably going to be full of procrastination, stress and soul searching. I myself knew that I would never have everything figured out within a lifetime of strange experiences let alone within the few years I had left of college. The fact is that sometimes we find ourselves so concerned with the point of every choice, every achievement, and every loss that we forget to just live.
So when I got up off of the toilet that day, pulled up my pants and went to class, I reminded myself to worry less about the little things. Even if everything does not work out in the end, even if you lose some things that you loved or find out that the people or the places that you cared about most were not all that they were cracked up to be, it is just a part of life. But also, if you need a reminder of good things and kind people there are signs that they exist all around us, even in the strangest of places.
Really, the moral of the story is: For those of you who ever find yourself in an odd existential crisis while taking a piss in your school bathroom, I would suggest that you stand up, pull up your pants, and continue simply “to live.”
