What defines life? What does it mean to be alive? Is it the ability of our hearts to pump blood through our veins? Is it the cheap thrills we find in everyday shenanigans? Is it the joy we feel when we’re with those we love? Is our ability to feel, our ability to experience happiness, sadness, and anger? Many define the meaning of life in simple, concrete details. Life means alive. Simple, easy, and comprehensible. Others try to find more self-actualization in discovering said meaning of life. Life is more than what exists in our planes of reality, life is the understanding that all things work together cohesively in the grand scheme of the universe. A little more abstract, but the idea is still there. No matter what, everything boils down to one question: What exactly is the true meaning of life? While simply adding the words “exactly” and “true” to the original question makes the topic seem repetitive, these small details are what narrows down the answers to this question. Is there one true meaning for living?
To answer this question, we must first consider the subject at hand. Consider the definition of life. Merriam-Webster found three “Essential Meanings of life” with twenty sub meanings that provide the “full” definition of life. Google provides five definitions, and Dictionary.com has at least twenty-seven different entries for the meaning of the word “life”. With all these definitions written and revised by official lexicographers, then it would seem almost certain to find the answer you’re looking for, right? Even so, one can read each and every single one of these definitions, plus more so and still feel discontented with their final answer. But why?
Here’s why: dictionary definitions are not the only things that give word meanings. Knowing the denotative definition of a word cannot possibly give you the satisfaction of understanding the meaning of life if no connotative definitions are considered. Think of the context of “life.” What have you been living for? What have we been living for? Are you looking for a way to put your own life into words, into its own definition? Are you considering what it means for an organism to be alive, or considering what it means to feel alive?
Perhaps putting together both connotative and denotative meanings of life would produce a somewhat collective, concrete definition of this concept. But even so, circling back to the original question at hand, does this cover the true meaning of life? Not exactly. Another important thing to consider in this so-called quest to discover life’s true meaning is how others may define life. Thinking about the interpretation of others could establish a better definition overall. How do others feel about life? There are countless “relatable” posts throughout all of social media that cover how people feel about life. Poems, memes, pictures, and small posts cover how other people may feel about life, whether they’re grateful or spiteful about it. There are countless different ways to explore the definition of life, along with the connotative meanings and emotions associated with this topic, but there ends up never truly being one singular meaning you can find about life.
In the end, life is basically what you set it out to be. Of course, there are still numerous definitions and attempts at defining life collectively. However, not one person in this world can tell you that life is concretely defined by one thing, by one belief, and by one person. Life, living, and being alive are ideas that are up to the interpretation of the reader. To contemplate life can hold a completely different meaning than to think about living. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, therefore the meaning of a concept as broad as life itself is up to the interpretation of yourself.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/life
Hi Ashley, I love the topic you chose to write about. There truly are a lot of different answers to this question like you mentioned. Each answer is also dependent on each individual. You wrote very well on the basis and kept me interested as a reader. Good job!
ReplyDelete- Melissa Knutson