This is an interesting question. The difference between living and existing. Do you thing you are exist? Yes of course! I can see your body, hear your sound, and smell you scent, of course we are exist as human. And do you thing rock in your backyard exist? Same as us, yes it is! When we can feel it physically, I think its exist. But do you thing rock living? I dont think so. We cant communicate with it. So we can define it as living when we can communicate with it. Thats my opinion. But its just in physical point of view about what differencen between living and existing. Lets come to a deeper one.
In the past time, there is a time when I feel I’m not living enough as a human. I just follow the rules, do the day as directed, and nothing I want to achieve. I can define it as I’m just an exist as human. No impact for others, no passion, no hope, nothing to achieve for. For me, being live is being a person that have something to fight for.
So for me, whats the difference between living and exist? When you have battle to fight for, you have passion to chase for, its a living things. Its make you different with rock in your backyard, and most people that do their life for nothing.