Better Than a Party

Sometimes I feel like an alien on this planet.

Much of what makes others happy brings a tremendous feeling of indifference to me.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just how I’m wired.

One of the events that has this effect on me are idle gatherings—or parties, as most people would call them.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good celebration. I love birthdays and stuff like that. But there’s a difference between a party and a celebration.

The kind of parties I’m talking about are purely social events. Ones with no real meaning at all.

I remember being asked to go to parties when I was younger and my response was always the same:

“…and do what?”

They never did anything for me.

And most of the time there were nothing but drunks there anyway. Not exactly my type of crowd.

I guess the reason I don’t like parties is the same reason I don’t watch many movies—it pains me to let time go by without doing something productive.

There’s nothing worse than realizing you paid for two hours you’ll never get back. I could have at least read a book or played a videogame during that time. At least then I’d be thinking. But just being entertained? That’s no fun to me.

My point is, there’s a million other things I’d rather do.

And since I’m already in Debbie Downer mode, I’ll tell you that one of those things is attending a funeral.

Now let me be clear, I’m not saying that to be edgy or because I take some weird pleasure in death—that would be sick. I’ve had plenty of loved ones pass long before I thought they should have, and it still hurts to think about it.

But without the reality of death, it’s hard to appreciate life.

Death doesn’t discriminate. It takes everyone no matter who we are or what we do.

You shouldn’t let that scare you though. You should embrace it. Learn from it.

And no, I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

…And a Wedding

I saw results from a poll the other day that asked pastors if they would rather preach at a funeral or oversee a wedding.

And while I’m sure we can all agree that weddings are much higher than parties on the meaning scale, those pastors still chose the funeral.

Again, it wasn’t because they were sick people. It was because funerals allowed them to bring good out of a sorrowful moment. Because when you think about it, pastors are nothing more than props at most weddings. Their wise words are just a formality.

But people listen at funerals.

They’re another place where beauty can come out of an ugly situation.

That’s why I can see the good in them. They give me that sense of urgency that’s crucial to have. And they remind me that I don’t have unlimited time to make this life count.

Other people come to this realization too, so they figure they should keep partying. They think they should go skydive. Or maybe travel the world.

In other words, they seek thrills.

And hey, I get that. You only live once right?

But thrill seeking isn’t what I’m talking about here. You can do all that stuff and not feel any different the next day.

I want something with substance. Something I can look back on one day and say,“That was good.”

That’s why I’ll take a funeral over a party.

When you’re reminded of how short life is, you view it from a new perspective. You search for the value in all you do and you prioritize everything.

Because no matter what people may say, no one wants to live a meaningless life.

So what will you make of your short time here?

Will you spend it going through the motions? Will you drink your nights away?

Or will you be able to look back and say:

“That was good.”