We live in a world
where answers to the most profound questions of existence are manufactured in
one place: Google. From self-appointed philosophers to experts of astrology,
from science geeks to stock market analysts, from (sincere?) politicians to
glamorous couples in showbusiness – all their ideas are contained within the
vast expanse of the World Wide Web, making it a giant recipe for omniscience.
The world seems to drown in a heartless and cruel ocean of information. We are
satiated with images, sounds and varying ideas on anything humans can talk
about. But the question remains: Despite all the googling, despite all the fuss
about the NBA, Hollywood movies, national politics and alien conspiracy
theories, did we already arrive at a full understanding of ourselves? Were we
able to fully comprehend life and its innumerable questions that make it a sort
of an idealist labyrinth?
We can say that we are the dominant specie in the animal
kingdom due to our thorough grasp of Science and Mathematics. In our younger
days, we became familiar with these fields in the classroom – had known the
likes of Aristotle, Socrates and Plato – and became active in philosophic
thought and discussion with our Philosophy teachers. The internet can be
regarded as another type of classroom, virtual and colorful, replete with “quotable
quotes” and vague sayings from the anonymous to the famous. However, the
availability of information fails to push us even an inch to an understanding
of what really life is and how we should see ourselves. It is easier for us to
define “water”: a chemical compound composed of a single Oxygen and two
Hydrogen atoms and has a boiling point of 100 degrees centigrade. Life, on the
other hand, is too tough a word to define and is usually filled with
philosophic clichés and scientific confusions. A thinking and feeling person
can find it inadequate to say that life is a chemical process brought on by
signs of metabolism and growth. If we are individuals with a deep concern for
the pursuit of knowledge and happiness, then it is imperative that we solve the
challenging conundrums of life.
Sadly, we find ourselves trapped in a crossfire of
opinions and conflicting worldviews about life – and the best thing we did was
to ignore the raging war altogether and play Farmville or something else. We
became negligent of our existence. We never wake up from our dreams of
accumulating millions and travelling to South Korea to meet K-Pop stars. It’s a
sad truth but we cannot do something about it -- unless we in ourselves develop
a sincere desire to learn about the nature of human life and the true value of
our existence. Before we cheer in the talents of American Idol champions,
before we taste the sweetness of a comfortable and luxurious life, before we
embrace the prestige of hard-earned recognition and titles, shouldn't we give
thought about the mystery we call life? Shouldn't we ask ourselves on how must
we carry on living in this infinitesimal planet that revolves around a giant
nuclear reactor in space?
I may sound to you as an old grouch complaining about how
the world works. But, the point I’m at pains in making is that we should wake
up and make an effort to understand and ask the most important questions that
bother humanity from time immemorial. What is life? What does it mean to
“live”? Life is like the air we breathe: we pay no attention to it but it’s
utterly important for an organism’s survival. Life is that something that gives
you the capacity for experiencing pleasure, discomfort and the total experience
of living. We go on each day with all our cares and no one even stops to
reflect and say: “It’s a good day today. I’m glad I still exist. I’m still
alive.”Living is so innate in us, so natural that we even forget it’s there.
Life must not be neglected nor feared; it is to be understood. As this
article’s title states: life is the greatest lesson that everyone (you are no
exception) should learn. It is the biggest university and everyone is its
student.
It is not my intention to parade myself as a philosopher
in writing this message. I am no member of the academia nor a holder of those
MBA’s. PhD’s, ABC’s and XYC’s. I am a mere human being; a sentient organism of
this planet we call Earth. It is my firm belief that we will only have but one
lifetime. While we’re here, we may accumulate wealth, be a responsible citizen
of a particular country, become a professional or even a celebrated statesman. Some
of us may choose to be actors, public servants, bank owners and businessmen. We
will grow, play, experience the magic of our very first kiss, start a family,
enter old age and die. It is my sole aspiration, however, to remain as a
student seeking to contemplate and marvel about the depths of our existence. I
hope that each of us should ask these questions even once: Why are we here?
What does it mean to have a fulfilled life? How must we go on and spend the
limited days of our lives in the most meaningful way? What does life have to
offer for each of us? These are the questions that I -- as a Humanist and a
student of life – will continue to wrestle with until the last of my breath. It
is my deepest hope that we can be good classmates of this world.
I do admire the courage and philosophy of Sam Berns, a 17-year-old boy with a case of Porgeria
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