The circle of life is a cosmic and eternal thing. The reality of it is ceaselessly encroaching on us and suffocating us with its grip. Living provides a constant sense of motion and is an experience we get to feel daily. However, I believe that life is not a circle and that it is not something that is endlessly rotating with us in its grasp. I believe that life is a triangle. Life is something with three stages and three sides and a vast space in the middle that leaves one with a sense of wonder.

Triangles have been symbols for masses of people for an extensive amount of time, for many they have been used as a religious symbol, a Greek letter, or to represent a countless amount of other ideas. For me personally, a triangle is something else completely. I believe that life is a triangle because of the three stages that come with living: birth, life and death. These stages are something a circle was never able to offer. Sides of a triangle vary in length, parallel to life.
To sense a triangle presents one with a magical feeling. Though there are three inevitable stages there is still more to life. The focus of a triangle should not be the sides, it should be the center. My life is not focused on how long it will take to get from point “A” to point “B”, or life and death; instead I’ve centered my focus on how I can lend a hand to others.
A teacher told me, “Live in the present, you have no idea what lies ahead of you so stop trying to figure it out,” my freshman year. This statement could not be truer. Just as it is true for walking up a hill, in life you cannot see what lies ahead until you overcome the situation you are currently facing, you need to reach the top of the hill before you can start descending to the bottom. You have no idea how long the “life” portion of the triangle will go on for you, it could be infinite. Hence, you need not focus on your sides but rather on your center.

To me a triangle embodies change, just like the delta in physics or economy, which is something that every person needs to focus on. A circle is a rather static thing; you relentlessly gyrate in an endless number of circles. A triangle, on the other hand, is dynamic. It is not a seamless being, nor is life.
I met a man who had two triangle tattoos, one facing up and the other facing down. He explained that, to him, they represented yin and yang. They also reminded him that he is a clean slate. This explanation mesmerized me. All of these explanations are to me what life is all about. Finding the perfect balance in life and making yourself a clean slate to become the person you want to be. Sometimes this requires centering your focus back to the middle and not the current path you are walking down. Even if you seem to stray off the path and believe with every fiber of your being that you are lost, you are not. You are always heading towards the next point, no matter where you believe you are. Straight, simple lines that make up a triangle are extraordinarily comforting. No matter what beautiful chaos occurs in day to day life we are all heading towards the same fate. The richest man and the poorest are heading down the same straight path.

Triangles represent a countless number of things; however they are the best metaphor for life. Life is about change, to change you must be able to be a clean slate and center your energy. In life we are all equals, when heading down the straight road of life, or triangle, we know that we are just trying to find point “B”. No matter how many stops we make along the way that is where we are going to end up. Between birth, life and death all humans are the same, it is the center of our triangles that make us unique and beautiful. I believe that life is a triangle.