The Meaning of Life
Sat 24 Feb 20072:40am this morning. A good mate lost his battle with cancer. It’s times like these, one does ponder the big questions.
From an engineering point of view, the meaning of life doesn’t matter. Life is. And then, some time later, life is no more. Just the facts, Ma’am. When asked by the door-knocking god-botherers, did I understand the meaning of life, my response was “Life is the time between birth and death.” No dispute there.
But every day of our life, we are faced with choices; how to behave; how to react; how to vote. We are all from different backgrounds, different experiences and with different “philosophies”. When choosing a course of action, each of us may ask a different question:
- What would Jesus do?
- What would Gandhi do?
- What’s in it for me?
- Which action is best for my family in the long term?
- What’s best for the long-term survival of our species on this planet?
- Which action will give me fewest regrets in my final hour?
I think that nearly every time, no matter which of these questions we ask, if we answer honestly and with good in our hearts, we’ll make the same right choice. And clearly the wrong choice is the one we adopt from others without thinking for ourselves.
Now please forgive me for disliking intolerant people who try to use race, religion, philosophy or “perceived differences in cultural values” as a weapon to divide us.
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BTW, my mate who passed away this morning was a wonderful human being who spent his whole life helping others. He also happened to be a Catholic Priest.
February 24th, 2007 at 18:49
I’m so sorry. It’s sad when people go before their time.
I guess it’s sad regardless
February 24th, 2007 at 21:27
Thanks, M. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t too sad for my mate. Few regrets in that final hour.
It was much tougher on his elderly parents, though.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:03
So sorry to hear of your loss Mike
It must be reassuring to know he was content before his passing, though I’m sure it is still hard on his parents regardless. A child passing before their parents could never be easy…
February 26th, 2007 at 3:00
Cancer is a detestable disease. My sympathies to you and all his friends.
btw, I find myself in agreement with you about those who would divide us.
February 26th, 2007 at 8:19
My deepest sypathies to you Mike.
My family had a dreadful run with cancer last year, three out of four of those who had it passed away. My dad was the one who was lucky enough to beat his cancer, which makes me endlessly happy, but also comes with it a feeling of guilt because my cousins lost their father and their father’s twin sister a mere months apart.
I also get this feeling of it being unfair, which is ridiculous because who would it be fair on?
Ah, meloncholic Monday commenting…
February 27th, 2007 at 0:22
Thanks Mummy B, Archie & Miff. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I never know what to say to bereaved people. Depending on what stage of grieving they are at, there’s always the risk of saying something to upset them.
My mate, for example, never wants it said that “He has gone to a better place.” Despite his profession, he often agreed that there wasn’t a whole lot of evidence for this “Better Place”.
Life is what you do with whatever you’ve got, right now.
February 28th, 2007 at 1:23
Surprisingly, engineering’s take on life also has within it a deep philosophy. Life really just IS. The whole purpose of life is life. And I think you’re right: if we’re honest and have good hearts, we can’t go too far wrong.
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:14
Hi Boff, thanks for your kind thoughts.
The funeral was Thursday, a major production at St Stephen’s Cathedral celebrated by the Archbishop, all the Auxilliary Bishops, a plague of priests from across Australia, standing room only in the Cathedral and another 1000 people outside spilling down the steps to Elizabeth St. My wife and I spent the rest of the day (and a good chunk of the night) with his family. While we have met them socially several times in past years, we have come to know them really well in recent months. My mate was one of seven brothers and sisters, and being good Catholics, he was uncle to about a gazillion nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces. We have lost a good friend, but gained many more.
March 5th, 2007 at 8:49
I add my sympathies Mike to those of all your friends. Cancer is the kind of blight on humanity which one wishes to see eradicated.
Believe it or not we ALL fight cancer in our bodies in various forms every day. The cells are produced and destroyed in the same way that our healthy cells are, but they form a minority of the cells, less than half a percent. The problem of cancerous growth appears to be a couple of things. Either the body loses its ability to destroy such cells, or something triggers their ability to replicate faster than the body can cope with them. You then get into chicken and egg arguments inside the fraternity.
My mum battles with lukemia and has survived a number of operations to remove growths from her body. She is very ill now having recently suffered a heart attack, and her medications started fighting with each other until they worked out what the imbalance was. Bottom line, she takes the wrong pill at the wrong time and shes in serious trouble.
The reason I relate all of this to you is that while we have not been able to cure most cancers, we have gained an understanding of what they are.
A lot can be said about the way your friend died. A whole lot more could be said about the way he lived. Along his journey he aquired many admirers and friends, as was evidenced by his send off.
As for being intolerant of the saducees/philestines/heathen… I wonder did your friend share that opinion. Sorry for your loss Mike.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:15
My mate was very accepting of people with other views.
Now I have another friend who professes to be an atheist. However, by his behaviour, he is now the most “Christian” person I know.