Meaning of Life
"Take Death for example. A great deal of our effort goes into avoiding it, and we make extraordinary efforts to delay it, and often consider it's intrusion a tragic event, yet we'd find it hard to live without it Death gives meaning to our lives, it gives importance and value to time. Time would become meaningless if there were too much of it. If death were indefinitely put off, the human psyche would end up like the Gambler from the Twilight Zone episode.” - R.K. on Death (Our Lady Peace, Spiritual Machines, track 12)
Many people consider death to be in their distant future. It’s very rare to find someone who expects death at every turn, and these people are paranoid. But for someone like myself, who comes from a history of early death and who has so many idols who died young, each day I live is a treasure in and of itself. If I don’t die when I’m 27, I’m not expected to live into my 60’s. I see elderly people, like my grandfather who is now 85, and where other people think “That poor old person is going to die soon” I think “Imagine all the things they must have seen, must have felt, must have done in their lifetime. And to think they’re making more memories each day” (I don’t want to hear any jokes about Alzheimer’s) My grandfather, as with many peoples grandfathers, is a veteran of the Second Great War (it was NOT a “world war” as there has never been such a thing. Most of South America and Africa remained uninvolved) and I can only imagine the things he saw, felt, and thought. He has told me many many stories, and each time I can only sit and listen, usually with a great smile on my face as I love hearing his stories and they’re most often amusing, wondering if my life will contain any of the fulfillment his carries with it. I want a rich life, not rich in wealth but rich in general. I want a house, not an apartment or condo. I want a good job, but not a 9-5 cubicle desk job, something I enjoy doing. I want a wife and kids, maybe even grandchildren. I want to take a risk every once in a while. I want to lose 1 out of 4 times, so that I can better appreciate the 3 wins. I want to feel pain so that I can know comfort, but I want to keep y body in good shape. I want scars with good memories attached to them as well as the bad ones. I want a dog, a lawn, a cottage, a black sedan. I don’t want to be famous or even notorious (though if I could get into organized crime I probably would). Is it unusual to have aspirations to be common? To me life isn’t about being all you can or getting everything you can. It’s about getting what you truly want deep in your heart and doing what you want. I know people who just want one thing in life, and for the most part I do believe in their ability to get it, but there are some people who don’t understand that life is hard. I know one girl who wants to sing, she’s incredibly talented and has already been put on several compilation CD’s. She has a future in singing if she continues to work hard. I know another person who wants to sing, and to be honest he sucks. Badly. But he wants it and that’s all, and he will fail when he tires. He will never have a full life because he wants the impossible. My ex girlfriend once said “Shoot for the moon and you’ll be sure to land among the stars”. I like that concept, but it’s not entirely true. For me the ideal life would just be that I end up happy, in a nice home, a wife and kids. I don’t care if I’m a world famous writer, or if I’m an average-Joe civil attorney or whatever, as long as I’m not trapped in a go-nowhere job I hate. I don’t want to get ahead by cheating and taking advantage of others misfortune, but I’m not going to allow myself to get left behind. I plan to take what little time I have on this earth and make the best of it. If I’m going to work, I’m going to work hard, if I’m going to party I’m going to have the best time I can, if I’m going to make a commitment to someone or something, I’m going to do it with all my heart and soul. Life is short, make the most of it.
Many people consider death to be in their distant future. It’s very rare to find someone who expects death at every turn, and these people are paranoid. But for someone like myself, who comes from a history of early death and who has so many idols who died young, each day I live is a treasure in and of itself. If I don’t die when I’m 27, I’m not expected to live into my 60’s. I see elderly people, like my grandfather who is now 85, and where other people think “That poor old person is going to die soon” I think “Imagine all the things they must have seen, must have felt, must have done in their lifetime. And to think they’re making more memories each day” (I don’t want to hear any jokes about Alzheimer’s) My grandfather, as with many peoples grandfathers, is a veteran of the Second Great War (it was NOT a “world war” as there has never been such a thing. Most of South America and Africa remained uninvolved) and I can only imagine the things he saw, felt, and thought. He has told me many many stories, and each time I can only sit and listen, usually with a great smile on my face as I love hearing his stories and they’re most often amusing, wondering if my life will contain any of the fulfillment his carries with it. I want a rich life, not rich in wealth but rich in general. I want a house, not an apartment or condo. I want a good job, but not a 9-5 cubicle desk job, something I enjoy doing. I want a wife and kids, maybe even grandchildren. I want to take a risk every once in a while. I want to lose 1 out of 4 times, so that I can better appreciate the 3 wins. I want to feel pain so that I can know comfort, but I want to keep y body in good shape. I want scars with good memories attached to them as well as the bad ones. I want a dog, a lawn, a cottage, a black sedan. I don’t want to be famous or even notorious (though if I could get into organized crime I probably would). Is it unusual to have aspirations to be common? To me life isn’t about being all you can or getting everything you can. It’s about getting what you truly want deep in your heart and doing what you want. I know people who just want one thing in life, and for the most part I do believe in their ability to get it, but there are some people who don’t understand that life is hard. I know one girl who wants to sing, she’s incredibly talented and has already been put on several compilation CD’s. She has a future in singing if she continues to work hard. I know another person who wants to sing, and to be honest he sucks. Badly. But he wants it and that’s all, and he will fail when he tires. He will never have a full life because he wants the impossible. My ex girlfriend once said “Shoot for the moon and you’ll be sure to land among the stars”. I like that concept, but it’s not entirely true. For me the ideal life would just be that I end up happy, in a nice home, a wife and kids. I don’t care if I’m a world famous writer, or if I’m an average-Joe civil attorney or whatever, as long as I’m not trapped in a go-nowhere job I hate. I don’t want to get ahead by cheating and taking advantage of others misfortune, but I’m not going to allow myself to get left behind. I plan to take what little time I have on this earth and make the best of it. If I’m going to work, I’m going to work hard, if I’m going to party I’m going to have the best time I can, if I’m going to make a commitment to someone or something, I’m going to do it with all my heart and soul. Life is short, make the most of it.