Memento Mori

Memento Mori - Remember Your Mortality.
This is a constant reminder to myself that we must live life to its fullest.


To me, life is about the experiences and encounters we endure. I'm not a pessimist, nor is this supposed to be interpreted negatively; but the majority of us will be born into the world and die without creating a lasting impact or legacy. We spend our childhood under our parents' rule, followed by 12-years in school, then another 4+ years in college and higher educations, only to work for the next 40+ years. We reach the age of retirement in our 60s, an age I can't imagine being too enthusiastic about. Most people will choose to get married and have a family, giving up their dreams and personal goals to raise children instead.

I do not wish to be a part of this normacy. I want to experience all life has to offer in my short life. I want to travel to 100+ countries, backpack throughout the world. Experience different cultures and learn first-hand about new traditions. I want to see exotic locations, bizzare creatures and taste new foods.

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die, because they are never going to be born. The number of people who could be here in my place outnumbers the sand grains of Sahara. If you think about the different ways our genes could be permuted, you and I are grotesquely lucky to be here. The number of events that had to happen in order for you to exist, in order for me to exist. We are privledged to be alive and should make the most of our time on this world" -Richard Dawkins, "Unweaving the Rainbow"

This quote really got to me the first time I heard it. We can even think about the universe as a whole and how lucky we are to be alive. The universe is forever expanding, and we cannot comprehend even a sliver of it. Just to have been born in our galaxy, on a planet in which life exists, we are extremely fortunate. The fact that I am alive because of the incidents and events that occured for my parents to meet from two very different countries. I was also an unplanned child that my parents considered not having after a misconception Mom had a few years before me. There are just so many factors that could have prevented me from being where I am today, or just even alive for that matter. I've decided that happiness, to me, is to experience as much as I can and take all that life has to offer.

I decided to gift myself a tattoo for my 21st birthday. In middle school I became fascinated by Latin phrases, and decided that I would one day get a tattoo of a Latin phrase in script. I spent years searching for the perfect phrase. My personal philosophy became "Live life to it's fullest," because the only thing that can get in my way of living the life I want is myself. I came across two phrases, "Memento Vivere" and "Memento Mori". The former translates to "Remember to live" and the latter, "Remember your mortality". I fell in love with both phrases as they encompassed my philosophy of living life to its fullest. This tattoo is a reminder to myself of my youth and ambitions. Life is what you make of it, and nothing can stop me from living the life I aspire. Death is inevitable; but to live is a choice.