Why Live?: The Beautiful and Painful Mess of Learning to Love Life

Why Live? is a story of vulnerability and transformation. In the face of depression and trauma Faolan Sugarman-Lash learns to love his life despite his pain. In this book he shares his mistakes lessons stories and advice for how to overcome mental health challenges by experiencing each part of life fully and finding meaning. He offers the full spectrum of his life experience from relationships to travel and from trauma to spirituality. This book is a manifestation of Faolans vision for a vulnerable open and courageous world. If you have ever wondered why youre here this is the book for you. WHY LIVE?INTRODUCTION Do you think trees wonder why theyre alive? - me If you have ever wondered why youre alive or like me wanted to die then this book is for you. This mission is for you. As long as there is one person who doesnt want to live and when I say live I mean Thoreau-marrow-sucking-YARP living then this book matters this effort matters we matter because we are here to LIVE not simply exist. The dream: Each of us living as our true selves wanting and experiencing every second of our lives beauty pain mediocrity and wonder included. Truth be told were a long way from this utopia. I dont want to prattle off statistics to you about high suicide depression and addiction rates. I dont want to even accept that people do kill themselves whether it be slowly day-by-day moment-to-moment slippage or all at once. I dont want to talk about any of this because it hurts. It hurts to feel the pain of knowing people dont want to live and to have known that pain myself. It hurts to write about the pain and to stand up for healing it... But it is necessary work for me because in my pain lies my purpose. We are all intimate with the existential pain of being alive and thus we all have a source to draw from. Deep inside our pain we hold unique truths that only we can offer the world. We have our own stories to share using our own art forms and maybe thats what it means to be human. Hundreds of people have shared their life stories with me and I have never been bored. Each of us carries a whole human soul ripe with spectrums of emotions thoughts goals expectations and traumas. Because were autonomous beings we all face the same question: Why Live?This question comes in two forms. When Im experiencing depression it haunts me. When Im fully present to life with joy and gratitude it piques my curiosity and becomes a beacon on the horizon. In my story you will see how this question transforms from darkness into light. This book is a tale of suffering and trauma of failure and mistakes and of healing love and hope. This book is my answer to the question that has brought me tears of pain and tears of joy. In my story I hope that you may see your own. As I was lost so you may be. As I found my answer you will assuredly find yours. Do not lose hope. May you find your answer mirrored in the pages of my story and may you live as only you can as you. Let curiosity guide you to ever-present light. Welcome and enjoy. This is: Why Live?