There are things worse than dying." - Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday

During one of my morning reading sessions this week, I came across the line above.

I paused, closed the book, looked outside, and just stared at the day we've been blessed with. It made me really sit with it for a while.

It's not the kind of question we usually allow ourselves to dwell on. We rush straight into the to-dos, the emails, the calls, the calendar. But in the rare quiet moments, when life slows down - you can feel it. That deep fear of not really living.

There are certain ways of living that feel like a thousand tiny deaths, stretched quietly over years.

I've met people who were so caught up in others' expectations, they buried their own dreams long before their bodies ever gave up.

The loneliness of people surrounded by noise, yet feeling completely unseen.

What happens when someone spends decades running after "more," only to discover that what they needed was "less."

Death is final. But moments like these erode us slowly. And unless we're conscious, they can end up shaping our lives without us ever realizing it.

That's why I want to talk about this today. The list is long. But here are Top 5 things that I believe, is worse than dying.

1. Not Living

What makes you step out of bed every morning?

Not the alarm, not the checklist, not the deadlines - but that one thing you feel you're meant to do. The thing that pulls you, fuels you, and makes everything else fade into the background.

For some, it's creating. For others, it's building, serving, teaching, writing, or nurturing. That fire inside - the restless energy of this is what I was born for - that is living.

And not honoring that? That's worse than dying.

Existing without purpose keeps you in that hollow feeling everyday. Why? Because one never stopped to ask: What do I want this life to mean?

Purpose doesn't give you more to do - it gives meaning to everything you do. It becomes your compass. It helps you cut through the noise and say a few strong yeses amidst the many nos. Without it, you drift - living by someone else's script, burying your story before it was ever written.

Dilon mein tum apni betabiyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum.

Nazar mein khwabon ki bijliyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum.

Zubaan pe apni khwahishon ki baatein leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum.

Apni manzilon ki chaah mein raho, toh zinda ho tum.

Har ek lamhe se apni mulakaat banao, toh zinda ho tum.

Jo zindagi tumhe khul ke muskurana sikhaye, wo zindagi jeeyo… toh zinda ho tum.

- Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara

2. Not Being Able to Travel

The world has vast experiences to offer. But most of us live and die inside the same 100 kilometers. Same streets. Same routines. Same conversations.

Travel isn't just about holidays or ticking off bucket lists. It shows you perspective. About how beautifully insignificant we are, and how big life really is.

I've felt it surrounded by the mountain peaks during treks , the silence louder than any city I've ever lived in. It's there in the narrow European lanes, where strangers with no common language still smile as if you belong. Its in a tiny coastal town, eating food cooked with recipes passed down for centuries - food that carried someone's history in every bite.

When you travel, your problems shrink. You realize the world doesn't run on your schedule, your anxieties, or your goals. And that's the most freeing thing.

"Not being able to travel is keeping your soul locked in a room, when the door was never even closed."

3. Not Following Your Passion

Most of us are blessed to not be held back by what's out of our control. We're held back by the choices we make every single day.

And there's a kind of death in silencing what makes you feel alive.

Let me share with you my example - for me this is cricket. The sound of bat meeting ball, the rhythm of the game, the grounding presence of being on the field, is a reminder about what life truly is.

But I've seen how easily passion gets buried under the weight of responsibility. You get caught in routines, meetings, deadlines, worldly commitments. And slowly, without noticing, weeks pass without doing the one thing that lights you up. That absence can feel like your slow fading.

Passion doesn't always have to be a career, but it does need to exist in your life. If it's painting, write a few strokes. If it's music, play a few chords. If it's cricket, step onto the ground even if it's just for an hour.

Nothing matters more than the few things that make your soul feel awake. To lose them is a far worse fate - living without life.

4. Not Witnessing Your Child Grow

There are very few regrets in life that can possibly cut deeper than this one.

Your child will never care about how many achievements you nailed, how many hours you worked, or how "important" your calendar looked. What they will remember is how you made them feel in the moments that mattered. They crave presence. And yet, in the noise of modern life, it's easy to miss the moments that actually matter.

As parents we can often look back with aching hearts. The missed morning hours because of a meeting. Their curious questions, the nights they wanted you by their side. The missed the school play because of a work trip. Childhood slips by silently, moment after moment, until one day you realize those little hands don't feel little anymore.

The regret of missing your child's childhood is a grief heavier than death itself.

5. Not Being There When Someone Needed You Most

There are losses that bury us, and then there are losses we bury ourselves with.

What's worse than dying is knowing you were alive, capable, present in the world - and still absent when it mattered the most. Sometimes all someone asks of us is our time, our ears, our presence. Just us.

But how often do we let life's noise drown out those quiet calls? How many times do we excuse ourselves with "I'll call tomorrow," "I'll visit next week," "I'll check in when things settle"? And then the moment passes. What's left behind is their silence & your own regret.

Presence is the most human gift we have. It doesn't take money or brilliance - just willingness. A handheld. A few words spoken. A chair pulled closer.

Until one inevitable day, we realize it wasn't the missed meetings or the unchecked emails that stayed, it was the look in someone's eyes when they needed us, and we weren't there. That regret, carried forward, is worse than dying.

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins

The quiet ways we abandon life while still breathing - when we silence our purpose, postpone our passions, shrink our worlds, miss the moments with those we love, or turn away when someone needs us most. These are the slow thousand deaths - unnoticed, unspoken, but deeply felt.

Your list can be completely different than mine. But in the end, we don't get to choose when life ends. We can choose not to let it end early, in pieces, through neglect of what matters most.

Think about it and ask yourself: "How alive will I choose to be while I'm here?"