— Anonymous
I genuinely love how thought provoking the story is. It relates to two things that I often contemplate on, time and life. Ivan Ilyich were driven to become successful before he gets ill. He believes that living to the standard of upper class is to only proper way to live a life. Because of that philosophy, he begins to dress in a certain way, acts in a certain way in order to adjust to propriety. Indulging in the bourgeois lifestyle, he soon feels unsatisfied with what he already acquired and becomes self-interested and materialistic. He isolates himself from others and numbs himself by working even more. However, everything changes when he gets sick. When Ivan Ilyich is confronted by his own mortality, he finally begins to reflect on the way he has been living his life. He questions the true value of chasing money and the appearance of a glamorous yet hollow life; he realizes the joy in his life that he’s been neglected; he reminisces the good time he has had with his family. Eventually, Ivan has an epiphany and decides to embrace the true nature of his life. I feel a strong connection to this story, especially during this chaotic corona time. Like Ivan, I felt the urge to work hard nonstop so that I can achieve a comfortable life. As I failed to slow down and looked for simple joy in my life, I became anxious and pressured. Fortunately, this social distancing time has given me a chance to re-calibrate and realize what I really value the most. I miss spending time with my family, partying with my friends, or even just a fifteen minutes’ walk outside. “You don’t know what you have until its gone.” We are all given with one life, and one life only. Yet, we still live as if there’s a re-do button that we can push to start over again. The time is now, there is nothing we can do to change the past or predict the future. All we have is NOW. Being is a decision we make. We need to make the most out of each single day and just enjoy life because you never know when it’s your time to go.
