Life comes in different shapes and faces. But when we come to think of it, all of our experiences boil down to one pattern – we grow up, learn about the world, do things within our paradigm, then we
die. Of course I only talk about the human kind of life here. I do not dare speak of the life experiences of, say a dog or a flower. No matter how amazing and accurate our discoveries are about these creatures, we can never tell how they themselves experience life. What we can only be sure of is that we have a very different experience of life. Plants do not have minds to conceive of death, hence probably they are the happiest creatures on this planet; animals have reason but not high enough to make them discover and invent things the way we, humans, do. We are incredible creations, but considering the dull pattern that life has – repetitive events bracketed by birth and death – it seems tragic, is it not?

Absolutely a Yes for some, but for the majority I can be certain that life is not seen as a meaningless event where poor living organisms called humans, animals and plants are forcedly brought into. Life always has to be about something. For some, life is about loving and being loved; for others, life is about standing up as a champion after defeating all the challenges life brings. Whatever we choose to believe what life is about greatly depends on which forces are absorbed by our minds and emotions. There are many people who see life as a deliberation of who would go to “heaven” and burn in “hell”, and there are those who would just say that, well, life simply is. Who is right and who is wrong? If you would ask me, I’d say no one is wrong. But it being right depends on us. If you could live life happier and better believing that it is about companionship and harmonious relationships, then that’s life for you. If you feel that life is about you and your pet and you find your relationship fulfilling, then that’s life for you as well. How can you say you are wrong when you can feel the genuine sense of fulfillment? And how can they say they are right if deep down they feel cluttered? Many people are so good at self-deception, but self-deception only works for people who are not courageous enough to listen to their mind and heart both at the same time.
We cannot force any one’s definition of life fit our own lives. I do not think that we should live in what sort of an ideal pattern so we could tell ourselves in the end that we have done the right thing, or we have truly lived life. We define our own lives. We live life spontaneously and there will always be something that would keep us going. Something we know would give us fulfillment, that even if we lose all the things we have worked for, just the feeling that we get from having that something or being able to do that something would be enough to make us welcome our last breath with a smile. For many, that something would be their family, and the love and happiness they share together. For some, it could be their job, e.g. a single person who finds contentment and happiness in his or her promotions at work. It could be somehow unique for the others, e.g. a person whose fulfillment lies on building houses for frogs. It doesn’t matter whether that something is common or peculiar; what’s important is we get to realize what that something is. And I say this with certainty, everyone has that something. There is no one in this world who finds nothing important to him/herself. There will always be something that would matter to us, for it is by nature that we always hunger for something that would substantiate us.
We are gifted with incredible thinking abilities; we should be aware of what we make of them. One reason behind suicide is that the person sees no value of his or her life anymore. Who says that a value is a requirement in living life? It was us who invented this notion of value, so why expect life to give it to us? If you feel such value is needed, find it. Strive to have it. It’s not a free token from life.
Some people choose to believe that they are no longer capable of giving value to their lives, hence they make an early exit. Others are the complete opposite: they believe that they are capable of giving meaning to their lives, but they think and feel that life is itself meaningless, hence they make an early exit as well. I do not blame either set. Life is not easy; it gets very much tiring at times. Good for those who are able endure it; for those who are not, we could just hope for an after-life for them.
I would say that in life, there are no wrong choices. We make choices; if we cannot stand for them, no matter how “right” they are they would appear wrong in our eyes. The only thing I consider a wrong choice is to take a fellow’s life. For the rest, I believe that every choice we make in life is right, if we make them so.
We could underrate or overrate life as much as we want. We could love or hate it with passion. Either way, we’re still in it. We live it. It has many downbeats, but the key is to know where our home is – that is, as I have said, our source of happiness and fulfillment. If we love it enough, we’ll be strong enough to withstand all the storms that will come our way.