by Tara Rijon

Created on: February 11, 2010

Ralph Waldo Emerson described life as “an experiment.”  Plato said that “human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.”  There appears to be a great deal of truth in both concepts.

Life is a conglomeration of emotions, events and physical highs and lows.  It can fill you with a sense of euphoria or overtake you with deep depression.  But, all in all, life is truly what you make it.

We are born into this world as babes, unfamiliar with life’s expectancies and life’s rules.   As children we take on our own personalities and begin to learn the awards and consequences of making our own decisions.  We learn (early on) the concept of free will, and realize just as quickly that it can have its drawbacks.

Life is different for everyone because people are different.  Genetics separate us and make us each unique in our own bodies.  Imagine a world where everyone had the same likes and dislikes; where everyone sought to have the same things or attain the same goals.  We would be caught up in a black and white society, rather than enjoying the colorful beauty that surrounds us.  There would be no competitiveness, and without it, there would be no change.

Life cannot be sustained without love.  Love is the overall emotion that links us together and teaches us compassion.  Whether we experience the love of a mate, a child, a pet or merely the love of life itself, it is present in all of us.   It is, in fact the most natural emotion known to man, and it is essential for his well-being.  Studies have shown that married people live longer, and people with well balanced relationships tend to live happier more productive lives.

Making the right decisions in life can often be challenging, and no one can be credited with always having made the correct one.  Errors in judgment should be viewed as learning tools rather than mistakes,  as without learning our lives would serve no purpose.  Like the newborn babe, we continue to feed upon the knowledge that our world has to offer and use it to reach new destinations.  It allows us insight, that we might be better equipped to make appropriate decisions.   

Our lives change daily, whether it be from the joyous birth of a child or the tragic loss of a loved one.   Our emotions take hold and move us forward;  sometimes expelling happiness, or acting as an ability to cope.   Whatever the emotion, and whatever the outcome, life is different for everyone.  The important thing is to live life to its fullest.

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