by Wendy Morgan

Created on: August 22, 2009

The purpose of life has been mulled over for centuries, perhaps even eons. A timeless question, what is the purpose of life incites a retrospective glance into the askers own life and mind.

Simply put, the purpose of life is to live. Life is full of excitement, sorrow, longing and multitudes of other emotions. Life offers an array of experiences that can teach anything that anyone wishes to learn. Living breeds learning, knowledge breeds wisdom, and wisdom brings peace. The experiences we face each day present us with choices, choices that determine the type of person we are. A favorite saying of mine is, "Life can either control you or you can control life." Individual reactions to the tribulations associated with living, show our willingness to learn and live regardless of what goes on around us.

Some take their experiences and use them as crutches and excuses for not working harder, learning more or persevering. These people choose to simply exist. Others take their lessons and use them as a spring board to push on, become better people and make the world around them better. Which is living? Understandably, everyone faces experiences that can take the wind out of them, the difference is those that are willing to get up and move on instead of staying down and giving up. Each person, as they travel through life, has to make the choice of which group they choose to be a part of.

Many people are thrust into situations they have absolutely no control of. Many live in impoverished nations with little to survive on, and less to take refuge in, yet they thrive. In spite of their conditions, not because of them, these individuals have taken their surrounding and continued on because giving up is not an option. Taking a look at the opposite side, there are many who have been born into circles of wealth, notoriety and/or fame and are unhappy enough to attempt (and sometimes succeed) at taking their own lives. Comparing these two opposite groups, it is easy to see who is living and who is simply existing.

The question of the purpose of life can be debated and argued for an eternity. Even if, in theory you agree with someone else's definition of the purpose of life, the nuances can be no one's but your own. Each of us needs to develop our own definition and the rules by which the game is played.

Regardless of what you think the purpose of life is, you can't experience it, if you don't live it.

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