by Nel Chong

Created on: September 26, 2010   Last Updated: September 27, 2010

When God created man and woman, it was to procreate. With life comes wisdom, feelings, ideals and many other emotions as well as thoughts. We breathe, eat and drink, sleep, play, fight and we grow old and die. Through our time on earth, we experience happiness, sorrow, anger, hatred and regrets. We hope and cherish, we gave up and struggled. We sacrifice and proudly annouce to the world, we are survivors. Through the cycles of life, history turns us into today's advanced beings. Some easily contented, some will not be.

So why do we live? What is the purpose of being alive? It is not a question of the chicken and egg or what happens when a kangaroo crosses the road, blindfolded. This time this day, procreation since the beginning of time is at the bottom list of our to-do list.

For some of us, the meaning to be alive is to be rich and powerful. To have all the riches and luxury to last a lifetime. To never struggle and understand what it means to survive. At times, it evolves to become ruthless and treacherous to gain these goals at all costs. Or rather, if we are already given a diamond stud since our birth, the earlier statement might be a moot point. Instead, for a specific flow of souls rising from this pool of already-given riches, the aim of living might be a tad ambiguous.

Another group of us having understood and went through the trials of learning to survive may have a different reason to live. Since never to possess any wealth to begin with, our goals would be to become rich. Some of us aspire to be the next billionaire, while others are contented to have a roof over their heads, a stable income, be healthy and happily grow old to die.

Yet, the question still hangs in the air, is not it?

However, do we really need a reason to live? Having no choice in the matter at all, really. We will never be able to determine where we will end up in, do we? Rather, perhaps we should divert and delve on finding the 'to live' theory.

Ironically, two verbs comes to mind : Live to eat, Eat to live. A common phrase we hear every now and then. Yet, it's not just a doctor's advice to keep the obesity from the intended patient, nor just a health slogan. If we tear up those words, it could just be a way of life. Starts with live and ends with live. As simple as that.

Eat, not just food. Food for thoughts is not just the menu we peruse over for what we are going to have on our plates. If food is to sustain our body, then just what do we eat to survive in spirit and soul?

Will love be enough for us to breathe? Is money ever be enough for us to swim over the Tsunamis in our lives? Will anything ever be enough for us to live?

Only when we find the peace and contentment we are looking for would we ever cease to be curious. But being humans, enough is never enough.

Perhaps, we may never ever find the answer. But that is the beauty of life, to always remain a mystery.

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