"Is it true that life is only once?"
To Noa's question, Simon answered. "If time is linear, yes."
"Is there a possibility it's not linear?" Haru became interested.
"Nietzsche's eternal recurrence. Everything repeats."
Noa asked. "Like reincarnation?"
"Similar but different. Reincarnation is a different life. Eternal recurrence is the repetition of the same life."
Haru was surprised. "The exact same life, over and over?"
"Yes. Same choices, same events, infinitely."
"Terrifying," Noa murmured.
Simon smiled. "Nietzsche saw it as the highest affirmation."
"Why?"
"If life repeats infinitely, you must completely affirm this moment."
Haru began to understand. "Can't have regrets."
"Yes. 'If you had to repeat this life eternally, would you want it?'"
Noa thought. "A harsh question."
"But a powerful thought experiment."
Haru asked. "But it doesn't actually repeat, right?"
"Physically unclear. But philosophically irrelevant."
"Irrelevant?"
Simon explained. "Eternal recurrence is not fact, but attitude."
"Attitude?"
"Whether you see life as once-only or repeating. That difference changes how you live."
Noa pointed out. "But some people cherish things precisely because they're once-only."
"Good counterargument," Simon acknowledged. "Close to Kierkegaard's 'single individual' thought."
"Single individual?"
"Standing before God as a one-time existence."
Haru was confused. "So which is correct?"
"Both are correct in a sense."
Noa organized. "Precious because once-only, and complete affirmation because repeating, aren't contradictory?"
"Not contradictory. Both encourage living seriously now."
Haru understood. "Just different approaches."
"Yes. The results are similar."
Simon presented another perspective. "Do you know Buddhism's momentary destruction?"
"I don't," Haru said.
"Everything arises and perishes moment by moment. Only 'now' exists."
Noa was surprised. "No past or future?"
"They exist only as memory and prediction. Only the present is real."
Haru thought. "Then whether life is once-only doesn't matter?"
"In a sense. If this moment is everything."
Noa asked. "But what about plans and goals? Is thinking about the future meaningless?"
Simon answered carefully. "Not meaningless. But sacrificing too much of now for the future is problematic."
"Balance?"
"Always balance," Simon laughed.
Haru asked from another angle. "If you could redo life, what would you change?"
"I'd change nothing," Noa answered immediately.
"Really?"
"The current me is the result of past choices. Changing something would make me not me."
Simon nodded. "Identity continuity."
"I am my history," Noa said quietly.
Haru was impressed. "Deep."
"But," Simon added. "Not being able to change the past and being able to change the future are separate."
"The future is open?"
"The problem of determinism and free will. A separate discussion though."
Noa asked. "If life is only once, are failures not allowed?"
"The opposite," Simon said. "Precisely because it's once-only, failures are part of life."
"Don't fear failure?"
"Fear is okay. But trying to eliminate failure means you can't do anything."
Haru looked at the window. "Life is only once. So give it your all."
"That's one answer," Simon acknowledged.
Noa said quietly. "But the meaning of 'your all' differs for each person."
"Yes. There's forced effort and natural effort."
Haru laughed. "Difficult."
"All life questions are difficult," Simon smiled. "If there were easy answers, we wouldn't need philosophy."
Noa wrote in her notebook. "Is life only once? The question itself questions how to live."
"Good organization."
Haru stood up. "Then let's cherish this once-only now."
Simon nodded. "That's the most certain philosophy."
The three began walking. Whether once-only or repeating is unknown, but this moment certainly exists.