Before you say anything, yes, this was inspired somewhat by the other topic "Worth dying for." See, it's all well and good to be noble and honorable and talk about the things you would give your life for; but I believe there are things that make living worthwhile, and those are the things that are the absolute most precious in this world.
Afterall, why would anyone want to live in this world? There is poverty the world over, hunger just as prevalent, and the efforts being made to rectify these problems - not too difficult to do, in truth - are shamefully small. Ignorance and discrimination runs rampant, and not only are there far too few people trying to educate these ill-knowledged folk, there are even those who try to feed these ignorant, hateful thoughts and beliefs. These few problems are, as the saying goes, only the tip of the iceberg.
Mind, these are just the problems of the world at large; we all have our own problems with life, don't we? From the small and trifling to the large, oppressive issues that keep a person from enjoying a second of their waking lives.
So why do we cling to life, in the face of overwhelming injustice and the failures of humanity? What are the things that make us soldier on through everything that makes the eternal sleep look enticing?
For me, first and foremost, it'd have to be the knowledge that I have way too much left to do; I don't mean just the fun life-experiences I want to do - vacation overseas, try every kind of food there is, and so on. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I think I've come up with something close to the meaning of life, or the all-encompassing purpose we have: To leave this world a little better than when we came into it. I haven't fulfilled that obligation yet, and I would be cursing myself for eternity in the afterlife if I couldn't.
*cough* Anyway, apologies for my slightly self-absorbed rambling. People who know me know that I will happily wax eloquent, given half the chance.
Afterall, why would anyone want to live in this world? There is poverty the world over, hunger just as prevalent, and the efforts being made to rectify these problems - not too difficult to do, in truth - are shamefully small. Ignorance and discrimination runs rampant, and not only are there far too few people trying to educate these ill-knowledged folk, there are even those who try to feed these ignorant, hateful thoughts and beliefs. These few problems are, as the saying goes, only the tip of the iceberg.
Mind, these are just the problems of the world at large; we all have our own problems with life, don't we? From the small and trifling to the large, oppressive issues that keep a person from enjoying a second of their waking lives.
So why do we cling to life, in the face of overwhelming injustice and the failures of humanity? What are the things that make us soldier on through everything that makes the eternal sleep look enticing?
For me, first and foremost, it'd have to be the knowledge that I have way too much left to do; I don't mean just the fun life-experiences I want to do - vacation overseas, try every kind of food there is, and so on. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I think I've come up with something close to the meaning of life, or the all-encompassing purpose we have: To leave this world a little better than when we came into it. I haven't fulfilled that obligation yet, and I would be cursing myself for eternity in the afterlife if I couldn't.
*cough* Anyway, apologies for my slightly self-absorbed rambling. People who know me know that I will happily wax eloquent, given half the chance.
