“This is what I love about life.” I answered.

In my previous post, I posed an important and fundamental question that a friend of mine had asked me and I have yet to provide a response.

“What do you love about life?” he asked.

What might first come to mind is what does this question mean or, rather, why is this question significant at all? It is important to note that this question is not asking: do you love life? It is in no way a yes or no question with one definite answer. The question is asked based on the assumption that each person’s life has some sort of purpose and that there are things in life worth loving. The question also does not intend to inquire about the physical aspects of life (i.e. breathing, eating, and other basic necessities for being alive). Thus, the second assumption that this question is based on is that what one might love about life transcends the basic means and ends of survival in its physical sense; there is more to life than breathing and consuming nutrition, right? It is true that it may have otherwise been asked as: what are you grateful for? what makes you happy? etc. All these questions are essentially interrelated and cannot stand independently from one another. What makes you happy is generally believed to be what you love about life and it is, in turn, what keeps you grateful for living.

While some very conservative cultures (and religions) seemingly call for living only for the purpose of preparing for the hereafter (if you believe there is one; often seen as the antidote of life or equivalent to death), other cultures (and religions) place utmost emphasis on the life we currently know of. Regardless of which of the aforementioned perspectives is “right” or “correct”, one must be capable of identifying the thing(s) he or she love(s) about life. Otherwise, there will be nothing to appreciate and perhaps there would even be no alternative to look forward to (if you believe in some form of afterlife).

After much contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that my response will always be a response in the working. What I love about life today may possibly differ from what I will love about life one year or 10 years from today. For the time being, as of Wednesday, March 24, 2010, this is what I love about life.

I love how we, as humans, are always given a choice to accept or reject. Personally, I do believe that each person’s fate is somehow predetermined. Even then, we are always given options that may be from opposite sides of the choices spectrum or from anywhere in the grey area between the two extremes. Sometimes you get more options than you need (which sometimes stands between me and the love I have for being given options). We are given a strong yet fragile power to make decisions. You might choose to drink a mocha as opposed to an espresso. You might choose to drive while drunk, or not. You might choose to give up a passport you possess for another. “Life is a sum of all your choices” wrote Albert Camus. Although challenging, choices allow us to showcase the capacity of our mind. Choices allow for creativity or lack thereof. Choices allow for freedom or lack thereof… even if the choices are restricted! Your choices determine who you are.

Another thing that I love about life is rather ambiguous. I love people. I sincerely love meeting new people and reconnecting with people I have known in the past. Although seemingly naive, you can otherwise say that I love the interaction that people can have between each other. True, it is complex and occasionally difficult to predict. However, this mystery is what adds suspense to life (at least mine). Your interaction with people and their interaction with you reveals so much yet very little about who they are.

I love how with people, you can communicate. I love how you might not speak the same dialect, let alone language, as another person and still be able to communicate perfectly. This reminds me of Pink Floyd’s piece Keep Talking. “All you have to do is to just keep talking.” Although this song is based on many assumptions, like assuming the truth of Darwin’s theory of evolution, it certainly describes how communication has become a basic need for human beings. Psychological studies have determined this to be true (i.e. Maslow and others). Self-expression has even become identified as a basic human right. Any nation that places excessive limits to self-expression scores low on the human rights scale.

I love human interaction (one way or two way) because if it weren’t for self-expression, there would be no words to enhance your imagination (and knowledge, at times), there would be no (musical) notes to elevate our souls, there would be no brush strokes to illustrate an alternate human reality. If it weren’t for self-expression I would have never met those whom I love most. If it weren’t for self-expression I would have never met those inspire me to write (like the person who inspired me to write this and the previous post).

If it weren’t for self-expression, I would have never written, spoken, or sung a word. I wouldn’t have been able to show you how I feel, truly and deeply. And for this, I love life and I am eternally grateful.

(written on March 24, 2010)