by Hamlet Pericles

Created on: May 17, 2008   Last Updated: July 12, 2008

Life is one of those ambiguous words that carry many meanings, depending on who is doing the defining. Some may define life as being bad and cruel; some may define life as being great and luxurious; and others may define it as they see fit - according to how life has treated them. Therefore, whatever definition is given to life defines accuracy, because we all share different experiences. However, is life worth living? Yes.

The question alone has an eerie feeling to it, because it indirectly entails death and that self-destructive act. But rather than evaluating this question from a negative/gloomy point of view, and list the obvious reasons of why life is worth living, a philosophical view will take priority to find out why and what would make one raise such question.

Some reasons are obvious: the death of a loved one; the difficulties of finding that career position; the illness that continues to materialize after remission; the house that's about to go into foreclosure; the woman who tries to conceive (after taking drastic measures) to no avail; the "justice" system that has a loved one wrongly incarcerated or executed; that person who continues to antagonize another simply because of his/her race; the woman who wants to leave an abusive relationship - but fear of retaliation keeps her fixed; the battle to get life back on track after identity theft; the parents who keep hope alive after a child has been kidnapped and undetected for years; the person with a college degree or degrees but cannot find employment; discarded children who fall into foster care to only be abused throughout their young lives. There are thousands of reasons that could be mentioned, for the pains and hardships are countless.

All of these issues may be unlike, but they fall under one category, life. The question - Is life worth living? - is brought forth for one sole reason: The struggles of life. When we struggle, we have various ways of expressing our frustrations and discomforts. Some turn to the Creator and ask why. Some question their existence on this earth, etc. I for one have queried my existence, not with the thought to harm myself, but rather to evaluate my self-worth and self-purpose in life. It allows me to focus on my goals and to get on point and reconsider other ways to fight the struggles. Some may think it is odd to even question their existence, but majority of people have done so and will do so when things are unbearable, whether it be verbally or mentally.

Questioning

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