making the most of life

While searching for news articles related to my gen. ed. subject at uni (Science & Religion), I came across this interesting article about 4 guys in America, who are literally trying to live out their dreams* while helping others do the same*.

*to some extent.

These guys are roughly my age, i.e. one or two years older than me. Like me, they've realised life is too short. Unlike me, they're doing something about it.

So they came up with a list of 100 things they wanted to do before they die. When I read through the list, I figured that most of the items were fairly trivial. But having a second think about it, I suppose these things mean a lot to those guys, in one way or another.

You don't have to have a life-changing experience for something to mean a lot to you - for instance, having fun and being happy means a lot to me. Might not happen as much as it used to, but that's a result of my own decisions, and external influences. As much as I could blame it on somebody or something else, ultimately I claim responsibility over who influences me or affects me with their opinions and commands etc.

But again, I digress.

Back to the topic - I visited the guys' site (www.theburiedlife.com) and decided to read the blog posts from the very beginning. I kept having mixed emotions, because I was initially attracted to their mission after reading that they're helping other people achieve [some of] their dreams where they can.. but at the same time, the guys are having a blast on the road, being supported by sponsors, doing crazy things like successfully passing through security and making their way into the MTV awards, etc etc. Essentially, the message I'm getting is that they're not selfless (a la charity/relief organisations), but they're not selfish either. When they say they're "4 regular guys", they mean it.

I enjoy visiting their blog, it makes for some fun reading. And when my internet picks up speed again, I'll definitely be checking out their videos on YouTube (their ultimate plan is to create a film of their experiences).

Yes, they are making a difference to people's lives, here and there.

But are they inspirational? I'm not entirely sure about that.. yet.

A response to the news article "Students help others discover buried dreams"

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Now playing: John Mayer - Message In A Bottle (live)