What is Life?

 ”A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer.”  ~Unknown

My husband was browsing Facebook one day, when he came across a comment posted by his friend.  The friend’s two year old son posed the all important question “What is life?”. Since when did two year olds start asking such profound questions? Times have changed. Kids ask too many questions these days! Go play, son, it’s too early for us to answer the question:) We are still figuring out what life is all about!

What is life? What is the meaning of life? These are questions that we ask sooner or later in life. I don’t remember when I first asked this question. But I do remember when my aunt died (and I had to deal with death in the family for the first time) that I wanted to know about life and death – what’s the purpose of life if you had to die one day? I was in bachelors school then – a respectable age to ask such questions I presume, not a mere two year old:)

If you have kids, you’ve probably faced such questions. And I wonder what your response was! It wont be long before my son would be asking questions, all kinds of questions. How do you prepare yourself for the toughest examination of your life – being grilled by your children? Hmmm…perhaps it might be a good idea to be prepared with some answers, well, for standard questions like “What is life?” or “What is the meaning of life?” (or the all time favorite “Where do babies come from?”)? I am not sure if “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer to kids these days. Bet they promptly ask “Why?” and tirelessly keep repeating the “Why?”. And I don’t want to find myself in the predicament that Raymond finds himself one day.

I mean Raymond, as in Everybody Loves Raymond, the popular sitcom on American television that ran for almost a decade until 2005. We watch the re-runs and I love the characters and the real-life situations. Well, I am referring to this episode in which Ally, Ray’s daughter (perhaps ten or eleven years old), is interested in finding out where babies come from. Armed with books and much preparation, Ray marches into his daughter room, confident he would be able to answer his daughter this time around – only to find out that his daughter’s interest has changed. She now wants to know the meaning of life. Ray is totally unprepared for  this line of questioning and a baffled Ray  scurries out of the room as soon as he could. 

When his family comes to know of the question, he gets unsolicited advice. What follows is a hilarious and chaotic exchange amongst the members of the family. Ray’s wife Debra is proud that her daugther is asking such meaningful questions, his mother Marie skims the pages of the Bible hoping to find an acceptable answer, his older brother Robert wonders loudly about life, his father doesn’t understand why anyone would ask such questions – why not make better use of the time and watch a baseball game instead?  As the time ticks away, a desperate Ray calls up the church pastor only to hear the answering machine -  and leaves a frantic long winded SOS message for help.

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.” ~Unknown

Life is like a rainbow. I came across this quote one day when I was searching for  a theme for Toastmasters. And I absolutely loved it. I have seen many a rainbow but it never crossed my mind to compare a rainbow to life. Rainbows are a delight to watch – I love them even now! Sun and rain. You need both of them for sure. Prosperity and adversity. You need both to appreciate life, to understand the bigger purpose of life. Life with it’s ups and downs, highs and lows, … like a rollercoaster ride.

“Life can be like a roller coaster…
And just when you think you’ve had enough,
and your ready to get off the ride and take the calm, easy merry-go round…
You change your mind, throw you hands in the air
and ride the roller coaster all over again.
That’s exhilaration…that’s living a bit on the edge…that’s being ALIVE.” ~Unknown

Life is like a rollercoaster ride. Just when you are getting comfortable with the rise and have settled to enjoy the view around, there’s a sudden drop..bump, bump, bump…you can either scream your head off with your eyes shut tight (that was my first ride) or you can enjoy the ride with your eyes wide open (every subsequent ride:)). And when you are ready to get off the ride, “you change your mind, throw you hands in the air  and ride the roller coaster all over again.” I know, I have done that so many times – somehow every other ride pales in comparison to a rollercoaster ride. Life is certainly full of ups and downs but when you know what to expect, you’ll learn to enjoy it more! Yes, it’s gonna be bumpy and scary at times, but at the same time it is exhilarating and lots of fun…a paradox that can only be experienced!

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” ~Tom Bodett

Life is a school. Life is a lifelong of learning. No one can drop out of this school – don’t even bother to try because life will follow you wherever you go! There are no failures in this school because life is a patient and thorough teacher and it teaches the lessons you have to learn no matter how long and no matter how many times! So, why not laugh and learn the lessons?

“Forrest Gump: My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. “~from the book Forrest Gump

Life is a box of chocolates. Ha, the assorted box of chocolates. All kinds of chocolates. Some of them are your favorites and some or not. Some are exotic, some are plain gross. You put your hand in and pick up one. What are the chances you would love what you picked up? Life’s like that sometimes. You never know what’s gonna happen next, so smile and love the chocolate that you are eating!

“Guido to his son: The game starts now. You have to score one thousand points. If you do that, you take home a tank with a big gun. Each day we will announce the scores from that loudspeaker. The one who has the fewest points will have to wear a sign that says “Jackass” on his back. There are three ways to lose points. One, turning into a big crybaby. Two, telling us you want to see your mommy. Three, saying you’re hungry and want something to eat.” ~from the movie Life is Beautiful

Life is beautiful. Life is Beautiful is the touching and poignant Oscar winning Italian movie based in Italy during the times of the Holocaust. Guido is this funny, madcap, romantic Jewish guy who is married to his Italian sweetheart and has an adorable son. When the Nazis send the men to a concentration camp, Guido is determined to protect his son from the mounting horrors and evils around. He convinces him they are in an elaborate contest to win a tank. As the camp’s numbers continues to dwindle, he maintains the charade so his son may be safe and hidden, and most importantly he protects the little child’s innocence.  He uses these weapons – a smile on the face, a great sense of humor and an ingenious imagination, persistence and determination – weapons the Germans could not conquer! If you are armed with these weapons, then yes, life is indeed beautiful.

Life is like a treasure hunt. You spend years and perhaps lifetimes looking for treasure everywhere around you…only to realize that the treasure is right inside you and you hold the elusive key. The challenge then is to unlock the treasure – how do you do it? The key and the treasure are both right there – so near yet so far! Many more years (and even lifetimes) are spent figuring out how to unlock the treasure. Once you get to unlock, you find out that to have continued access to the treasure, you need to put it to good use and the only (and fool proof) way to do it is to use your talents and gifts for the greatest good of everyone and everything around you! Serve others and the universe will take care of you..

“Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.”~Oliver Goldsmith

Life is like a journey. The source and the final destination are the same for everyone. However, there are infinite paths to choose from and the path you follow reveals the path before you.  The journey is long and all that you need (not all that you desire) is available on the way… so travel light, don’t lug baggage from the past! All you need is a passport and the passport is you. Reaching the destination is assured, so look around and savor the moment!

“Life is the game that must be played.”  ~Edwin Arlington Robinson

Life is like a game. Yes, you cant play substitute, you cant sit on the sidelines, you cant opt out of the game. Learn the rules and play you must. It’s not about playing the game better than the guy next to you but it’s about playing better than you played yesterday until you learn to play with  your full potential! Your opponent is not the world or the people around you or the challenges you face, your opponent is your self – your lower self! It’s not about winning against your lower self but it’s about aligning your lower self with your higher self so both of you might win – it’s all about playing with a win-win attitude!

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”~William Shakespeare

Life is a drama. And you are an actor. You have your role, entry and exit all laid out. How well you make your entry and exit, and how well you play your part is what life is all about! The role is temporary, you may come back to play another role. You play all kinds of roles and characters because that’s the testimony to a true actor – comedian, villian, heroine, hero, prince, pauper, old, young, stupid, wise, etc… There’s no big or small role because every one gets to play every possible type of role and every role counts or it wouldn’t have a role in the drama! So, don’t be attached to the role, nor the actor’s garb nor the stage and let not them define who you are! Be the actor and focus on playing your part as best as you can…

“When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?”" ~Sydney Harris

Life is a unique experience. There’s no perfect answer to define what life is. Life is beyond definitions. Words would only limit the experience. You have to experience life with your heart to really understand what it means and that experience would be unique to you!

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