The Meaning of Life

Every time someone questions what they did within the duration of their life, two things will happen; you either will see them bow their head in shame, filled with regret because they feel that they have failed in not only their own expectations, but also the expectations of others. Or, you will see them raise their head in dignified satisfaction because to them, they've accomplished their goal and are ready for life’s next challenge. But no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you've experienced, each and every person possesses a goal, an ambition or a purpose that must be pursued. Even so, before successfully fulfilling one's objective in life, despite what happens, within each person three characteristics will always become evident; one will always experience fear, success, and failure. Being able to accept all three characteristics with no complaint is the most valuable tool one could ever possess.

The most complicated question one could ever ask is to define the meaning of life; to elaborate the means and basis of our own existence; to put into words the physical, mental, and emotional inclination that one must experience with every given step. Happiness, sadness, and regret are all examples of mentalities that just cannot be put into words. To explain life is not impossible but simply just a waste of valuable time. Albert Camus once said "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." You cannot search nor explain your life in the making, you must live and take hold of every second and allow those around you to define who you are - who you used to be.

So how can one “live life to the fullest,” how can one truly “seize the day” by simply living each moment as if it were their last. Amelia Burr said: “Because I have loved life, I have no sorrow to die.” For one to live life in such a way that if they were to die tomorrow, everyone would be able to say, “now his life was worth it simply because he didn’t let anything get in his way. He lived life to the fullest.” If one were to explain their life in a chronological forum, more than half of that would consist of a person’s struggle. The pain they’ve experienced over the years, and the tribulation that they faced everyday. Although all of this is important, it should not be the foundation of your life. As Barry Lopez put it, “How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.” Continue to live them out; making your life a worthy expression; if one continues to dwell on regret, then one will never make their life worthwhile. The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. (Harriet Beecher Stowe) Remember, when one door closes another door opens. To live life without actually living is the worst thing one could ever do to themselves.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing, which you think you cannot do. In order to gain knowledge, strength and courage one must learn from what they’ve experienced. Personally, if one were to justify the true meaning of life, they must first be completely comfortable with who they are, and who they continue to become. Ask the questions that no one enjoys answering, to attest the fine line between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ but most importantly to question the value of certain situations. Never should a person ever relay or become dependent to another’s liking. Because time will come when they will have to confront their fears under the worst circumstances ever – alone.

To define life as happiness is only half of the story. Granted that happiness is the epiphany of life, sadness and failure is an overwhelming experience that many dread to encounter – but nonetheless, rejoice for with every situation comes another opportunity to progress in our race to the end. As Carl Jung stated, “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”

Some find it easier to view life through the eyes of another, to imitate the world around them, and to pick the best of both worlds in order to make a more perfect life for themselves and those after them. Others feel that the definition varies upon each soul, and that because no one shares the same opinions they will never agree on their purpose on this earth. But amidst of it all, is a small minority of people who just don’t care about what life means, what theological perspective is supposed to be pursued, what is “fitting” in the sight of society. All they know is that life is short, and regardless of who they are, they have a sole purpose on this earth.

The meaning of life cannot be thoroughly planned for. It knows neither dialogue nor script. Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.