Everyday ethics: Making the most of your life
What are you doing with the precious life you’ve been given?
This may be the most important question every human being should face.
It’s a question that people should ask, but many do not, sliding through the time given them without asking if where they are spending it has purpose beyond making it through the day. Many do not have the luxury of even asking the question as they face daily challenges to their very existence, as in Gaza or Ukraine these days or even in parts of the United States where the struggle to survive is measured daily.
Having time to think is a luxury few have or appreciate, sadly. As the early Greek philosophers understood, it is the source of what it means to live fully. “Know thyself” was the wisdom offered by the Oracle of Delphi and used by Socrates to explain the purpose of living.
A human being requires time to think, to reflect on one’s life — and few of us take or have the time to do so. Life flies by until we arrive near the end wondering what happened to the tiny amount of years we had been given. Did we spend them wisely with purpose, not just for ourselves but for others? Or did we waste time foolishly without much purpose?
I can’t answer what life asks of you. Only you can answer it. Life is a gift. How you use it is yours to answer.
The eminent practical philosopher Ben Franklin put it best: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the Stuff Life is made of.”( Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1746)
In modern life these days we seem to be running out of time to think (at least that is what we believe). But in order to lead a purposeful life taking time to take stock of ourselves — who we are and what we are doing — is precisely what is needed.
Thoreau had it right when he wrote: “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
You may think it’s not possible to change direction in life. It is. Life is not only a gift but an opportunity to change. Change is the one constant for individuals as well as nations. It takes courage to do so. But better that than to live a life of “quiet desperation.”
I’ve often thought the real heroes and heroines of life are not those who proclaim how great they are but rather those who quietly and without fanfare give a gift back to life in ways that increase love, not hate.
John C. Morgan is an author and teacher. His latest book, “Everyday Wisdom,” is a collection of his columns over the years and is available on Amazon. You can contact him at drjohncmorgan@yahoo.com. His columns appear weekly at readingeagle.com.
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