Life and Death

A couple weeks back, a good friend's mother passed away. The entire family are Christian, and the overall feeling was more celebration than sadness. However, the event still brings up thoughts of our own mortality, and what our purpose is here in this life.

My daily life is spent in an office, generally defined as a cubicle dweller. It's not unusual for this sort of life to generate questions of purpose and contemplastion about impact on the world. The problem arises from needing to generate an income to pay for a lifestyle of some comfort, versus following a more "alive" adventurous life that may not be as financially rewarding.

As a Christian, I have a belief in there being something after our short time on Earth. I believe in the teachings of Jesus, yet have no physical verification of any afterlife. That's the real problem with death - we don't have any physical person to talk to, who has come back from the "other side". Outside of one exception, it's been a one-way path. Faith is all I can stand on, when in this discussion.

Let's say 75 is the average age of death for most humans. The first 20 years (or so) are spent becoming an adult, and growing/learning. Once you are ready for independence, the question becomes what sort of life are you willing or called to pursue. Few seem to appreciate this opportunity early on in their life.

There are many who will spend their entire lives in a basement lab, testing or working with various needs that may be a direct benefit to the rest of us. On the other hand, there are many who will spend their entire lives on a beach, serving drinks and whatever to resort guests. So, which life would be considered more "full"? Both are serving their fellow man, but couldn't it be argued that the beach waiter is getting more engagement with the life we are all given? Isn't the lab tech basically disconnected from the surrounding world?

That's the internal debate I find myself frequently having. I don't see myself directly wasting the life I've been given, but I do question if there is a "better life" I could be living. Then the question becomes, at what point do you stop the "standard" route, and step out into something a bit more engaging.

In recent years, I find myself thinking about how huge our world is. This leads to me concluding what a shame it would be for a person to be born, live, and die all within the same 50 mile radius. We simply have so much more to experience here, and there needs to be more drive to get more engaged in the world around us.

Granted, there are millions who are either physically, financially, or mentally incapable of any dramatic changes. I am not saying they should throw caution to the wind, or put themselves in a harmful situation. On the other hand, maybe there are some small changes they could make to become more active in the world around them.

We all have talents and gifts that are given to us for sharing with others. Most of the time, our "core" talents are things that can be used in numerous locations around the world. There are doctors, lawyers, computer technicians, garbage men, waiters, greeters, and thousands of other jobs available in just about every country in the world. You don't have to stay in one spot your entire life, and probably shouldn't.

To those of you who have already taken some action to expand your life experiences, I applaud you and would ask you to encourage others. Share some your stories, and elaborate on how your experiences brought you to where you are today. Our world has been getting smaller as technology evolves, and it continues to get easier to see more. Get out there and see what the world has to offer you. You may be surprised at what awaits you.