Survive definition: continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship. (dictionary.com)
To remain alive or in existence; live on; to continue to function or prosper (Merriam-Webster)
Sure, you can exist, after hardship, danger, the death of a loved one, but are you really living? Are you following your passion(s)?
I, personally, am not living with hardship, danger, or death, but I’m not truly living, either. I work, come home, feed the cats, drink a bottle of wine, have a cigarette, flip through my Facebook feed, and then go to bed. Get up and do it again. Very occasionally I will get together with work colleagues. Blah. This is not what I envision for myself. I don’t want to just survive ….. I want to thrive.