Words have many different interpretations and that’s what makes them so wonderful. They all have certain definitions and can be used in different contexts but some words have a deeper meaning. For example, love or beauty, peace or hate. In this article, we are going to talk about one word in particular… existence.

The definition of existence is the state of living or having objective reality. It is also defined as a way of living. Existence is the reason for living in this world. It’s the reason why we live the way we live. Everyone is constantly looking for their purpose in life and the meaning behind their existence. Existence is what is right in front of you all the time. It is your family, friends and constant surroundings. Existence is what you look at in the mirror. The person you see in your reflection has a bigger part in existence than you might think. Everything and everyone has a purpose and is in this world for a reason. Existence is the good times and the bad times you have. The great days that take your breath away and the days that you wish would end because they are tearing you apart. It’s the laughter you share and the tears you shed. It is waking up every morning wondering what will happen next in your life. Existence is a word with different interpretations. It can be thought of in a spiritual way, a scientific way or even just a word to explain that one is alive. My interpretation is this…

Have you ever gone on a nature walk and looked up at the trees to see the sun shine through it?

Have you ever been around the people you care about the most and think to yourself, this is what I live for?

Have you have discovered something about yourself so suddenly and found out who you want to be in life?

Have you ever cried so much that you thought to yourself there couldn’t possibly be any more tears left in you?

Have you ever physically felt your heart shatter?

Have you smiled so much that your cheeks started to become sore?

Have you ever wished that a day would never end because you were so happy?

This is existence. It’s living your life through the hard times and the good times. It’s looking for the beauty around you when all you can see now is hate. It’s looking at the people around you and being around the ones that love you. Most importantly, existence is you. You exist for a reason and have a purpose in life. You may not know what your purpose is yet but it’s there. You exist in order to live your life to the fullest. Existence is yours and it’s something that can’t be taken away from you, even when your gone. Because existence doesn’t necessarily leave because your existence will have always touched somebody and changed their existence. It’s what life you lived during your time on this world and the guarantee that your existence will never falter even when you are gone. To me, existence isn’t just a word. It’s a way living.

“What you are basically, deep deep down, far far in is simply…the fabric and structure of existence itself”- Alan Watts

I asked a couple people what existence meant to them and here are their interpretations:

“Existence is a sense of living, making the most out of your own life as a human being, not to dream and have wishes but to make those dreams and wishes your own reality. To further mankind in this alien, foreign galaxy in which we still yet have to find if there’s more to existence than just you” –Logan Lause

“To strip it down to just existence; It’s simple. Existence is a balancing act between the weight of life and the lack of spirit in death. It’s light vs. dark. Hard vs. easy. A challenge vs defeat. To me existence is a means to an end. Existence is waking up every morning, deciding what I’m going to wear, eat and do for that day. Existence is knowing that I am just a human, made of bones and flesh and that one day I will die. Existence is short for us humans. Our world has an average age of death which is 71 years old. Each of us have, on average, 71 years to play this balancing act; to challenge one’s self and live happily in our vibrant, lively world before our bitter end.”-Caitlyn Smith

“Living in the moment. Making mistakes and learning from them. Failing. And failing again. But trying over and over because that’s what existence is all about. Nothing is perfect, and it’s not supposed to be. So just live. Just be. Just exist. You’re doing just fine.” –Jessica Lively

“Living and being alive. Live for the moment and believing in yourself”- Lisa Welch

“Existence means just the act of existing, while living is living”-Rachel Hill

"Existence is growing, learning, loving and being a better form of yourself each day to come. It's being able to enjoy even the bad moments because you can't have the light without the dark. It's appreciating and embracing curiosity and having an open mind because that's how the world grows too." -Viviana Sanchez

"Existence to me is like a river. It is the fluidity of life, the endless possibilities that change and form as we go about our lives on this Earth. It is the duality of everything that is, ever was and will be a part of this reality"- Raeanne Phillips

The greatest thing about this word… Existence, is that it means something different to each person. For the most part, to everyone it means living your life to its full potential, whatever that may be.

So, the question you must ask yourself is… What does existence mean to you?