This year I had a chance to reflect on my life a bit more.

Many people did not or do have the opportunities I have, however I feel that I have been not using them fully.

I feel that often we are surviving or going through an externally imposed checklist of things we need to do before we die so that the society would be happy with us. But is that really a good life?

During the soviet times or the middleages many people did not have much autonomy in their lives, much of their lives were in the survival mode. Get food, shelter etc.

However, I feel that today people sometimes act in a similar way even though they have more opportunities. They just constantly try to upgrade their food, shelter and other things. From a smaller car to a bigger car. From a smaller house to a bigger house etc.

For me this still feels like survival and not living (or viving as I call it here).

I think it is valuable to realize that many of us have the autonomy to choose how we want to live our lives and that does not necessarily entails striving for a bigger house or trying just to survive. There are other things to do in life than food and shelter.

If you have choice, you should live not survive.

Or as I would say in lithuaninan you should strive to "gyventi" instead of "išgyventi".