Living Vicariously Through Another's Experience

I have a friend who bemoans the Christian tendency to "live vicariously through others' experiences" rather than "experiencing life for themselves".  At times I have been sympathetic to this notion and even entertained the thought at times that we need to get out and experience things that may be dangerous or even wrong.  However, today as I contemplated the resurrection of Christ I began to wonder, is not vicariously experiencing life through the experience of Another the very core and heart of the Christian message?
Rather than receiving the penalty for our sin - death - we instead vicariously experience death through Another.  And rather than living our lives, we vicariously live through the life of Another.
So it is inherently unChristian to talk about "experiencing life for oneself."  Rather, we are to surrender our will and desires to One who is much greater and then to live through Him.
Let us stop trying to make something of ourselves.  Let us stop lying to ourselves, telling ourselves that it's about us: our life and death; our will and desires.  And let us instead submit to the will and desires of Another.  Let us lay down our lives and pick up His, in order to vicariously live through Him.