When the end of life grows closer, we often ponder the essence of life.  Being closer to the end of life is a regular context within the work we do with folks who are older and often living with chronic health issues.

And I wonder, could we (as a society) not be seeing the forest for the trees?  Could it be that in today’s experience of life, we might be missing the bigger picture, the bigger point?

The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote and studied a great deal about life.  “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life: the whole aim and end of human existence.  While I have respect for his obvious depth of study, I am just not sure if his thought that happiness is the meaning and purpose of life is correct; and I wonder if his quote might be a disservice to society.  My observation is that when “happiness” is a goal of life, it creates frequent disappointment and hopelessness.  

Could it be, instead, that as we each do our best to live a good life; a life where we ourselves grow and become, and where we are good to one another, that this might be good enough?  That we accept the reality of hard times, sad times, times where we grow and times where we simply endure?  That we take deep breaths when we are in the middle of hard situations, reflect on the easier times we have enjoyed in the past, and look forward to seasons where life isn’t so hard?  Could it be that we have become so accustomed to “having and achieving” that we have lost much of the meaning of “being and becoming”?  

If we were to take fibers that represent the varied experiences of life, and weave them into a tapestry, we would see fibers like this: some of the fibers would take our breath away with their beauty.  Some would cut our fingers as we weave and make our hands bleed and hurt.  Some fibers would be quite ordinary, but would create the structure to hold our tapestry together.  Some would be bold in their texture, unexpected with how they feel and how they work their way into the tapestry.  Other fibers would be new and pliable, and some would show their age and require more delicate handling.  I have yet to weave a tapestry such as this, but in my mind’s eye, the tapestry would end up being one of incredible beauty.  And the beauty would reflect the entire representation of the reality of life; the beautiful, the painful, the ordinary, the seasons of life.  All of this together creates beauty.  

Life.  I will continue to see it through my eyes of faith in God, and through eyes that see life as a process, where happiness is not the goal but instead a by-product of life lived well.  And I will continue to love well the folks I am honored to spend time with, while honoring the beauty of the sum of their lives.

Reflecting,

Jill

©Jill Couch