What really matters in life? Why bother living if we're just going to die anyway? I just want to be happy.
All of these are things I hear/read/see on, what seems like, a daily basis; and it's got me thinking about the answers to those questions. Now, being a Christian all my life I know the theological answers and I know what the "right" answer to say is, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.
First of all, what really matters in life? Well, lots of things matter. Friends, family, pets, work and school are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head. But, it seems like everybody wants a deeper answer than that. Everybody, myself included, wants bigger answers. I think the question is more than, "What really matters in life?" I think it is more like, "What really matters to me? What matters in my life? What kinds of things are important to me? How do I keep my priorities straight and not get distracted by what 'doesn't' matter?" I think that series of questions is closer to what we mean we simply ask, "What really matters in life?" Honestly, I'm not sure I can answer that question for myself, or anybody else actually. I mean, my family matters to me. My friends matter to me. My fiancé matters to me. My job matters to me. My schoolwork matters to me. My time spent with people I care about matters to me. My roommates matter to me. My health matters to me. I could keep going. But, just because those are some things that matter to me, doesn't mean they necessarily have to matter to you. Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinions and values. Both of those highly influence the way we determine whether something is important to us or not.
Next, why bother living if we're just going to die anyway? Seriously? That is probably the most pessimistic thought, ever. It's up there with, "Well, every second you're alive is just another second closer to death." If you're thinking that way all the time, please see a counselor. You need help. But seriously, what IS the point of living if we're just going to die? Again, I don't know. To me, the point of living is to enjoy every moment that surrounds you with the people who surround you. Living is being with people who make you feel "alive." Being alive is just pure joy and pure happiness, but again, that's my definition. However, it ties in nicely with the next sentence.
"I just want to be happy." Alright, if you "just want to be happy," you need to figure out what's making you so unhappy in the first place. Typically, if you're unhappy, you find ways to do things that make you happy. You play video games, go for a run, write, play an instrument, watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," watch YouTube, hang out with friends, the list goes on. You do things that make you happy. If you are so unhappy, then stop doing those things. If someone is in your life and they are constantly bringing you down, I say evaluate the relationship and determine if it is really worth all of the unhappiness the person is causing you. Quite seriously, if you want to be happy so badly that every time I get on Facebook and that's your status or if you're one of those people who like the status every time, I think you need to reevaluate your life and start making some big changes. I want everyone to be happy. I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I want everyone to feel alive.
I think the best way to sum up what I'm trying to say in this advice columnesque blog post is in a Relient K song. The song "College Kids" ends with this montra: "Do what will make you happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life. Do what will make God happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life."
Deuces.
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