Economics of the "First Times" in Life

I was standing on the balcony of a fifth-floor apartment, feeling every swish of wind rocking my hair strands and the fragrance of hot cooked food tempting my nostrils. Suddenly, a philosophical thought process surrounded me. It seemed like the vociferous music claimed solemnity and the humans around me vanquished in a fleet of air.

Birthdays. What’s so special about birthdays? We celebrate our first breath every year on a particular day, hosting a party, being wished by all the anthropos you’ve known all this while, slicing apart a cake, blowing candles, wishing for good health and not to forget loads of success in life, and finally, promising yourself to keep yourself happy on this day. Your Birthday. Marking the first breath you took.

I have no points to deliberate against this jovial moment we experience once a year. But my thought process has a lot of buts, so, yeah going ahead with another one- I have no points to deliberate against this jovial moment we experience once a year, BUT, why just once a year? Why are people so focused on the first breath they took? Especially when, every breath we take is the first breath for the rest of our lives.

Let me elaborate, the breath you took just now is the earliest breath of the rest of your life. You could also quote it as: Today is the youngest you’ll ever be in the rest of your lifespan. You will not be able to relive this particular date or this particular second of your life or this particular time zone.  The point here is that if you look at it from a different perspective everything you do every day has its own set of “firsts”. So, yes, coming back to it, why just celebrate the conventional firsts? The first breath, the first book, the first friendship etc. and why not all the firsts? First today, the first second of the rest of my life, first smile of the minute, first article of the hour etc.

But, (yes, again a but), why doing this would matter? How does it make a difference? Won’t it make celebrating the conventional firsts mundane?

Well, it’s all about perspective if you see. Taking the celebrations of your life from a macroeconomic glance to a microeconomic glance you realize happiness is abundant. There is as much supply of smiles as you demand. And the utility of which will never be negative. Why? Because every time you feel the dopamine it’s new. You can never feel the same adrenaline or dopamine twice. It’s all about the firsts. 

The difference this approach of life would make is inexplicable. You will realize slowly and gradually that you smile a little more, laugh a little louder and party a little harder. And, by party, I do not mean simply just music and clubs, but a more wholesome sense of partying which involves you, your mental peace, and your sanity, does not matter if it’s with people or in solitude, with music or with books, with family or with friends. All that matters is that it makes “YOU” satisfied with whatever you’re doing “NOW”.

So, yes, with this first-ever blog post of my life, I embark on this journey of a new first in my list of firsts.