“I Lived” by One Republic

This catchy and heart-warming song begs in its lyrics for you to live a life where “when the water rises, you [build] a wall… when the crowd screams out, they’re screaming your name… when everybody runs, you choose to stay.” The chorus rings, “I did it all, I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give; saw so many places–the things that I did; and with every broken bone, I swear I lived.” The message is simple–you should live life to its fullest and only those who do (live life to its “fullest”) can say they have truly lived. What about the people who don’t have crowds cheering their name? Who don’t ever get to leave their hometown? Who do the same things, every day, for forty years? Have they not lived? If they have not lived, then mustn’t it follow that they’ve been dead their entire lives?