-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun’s book, Life Lessons–
P: โWhy should a person live?โ This is a question many people ask when they are young, and then there is another phase in life when people revisit this question. As people enter into their 40s, 50s, or reach menopause, they ask again with skepticism, โWhat does it mean to live, what exactly is life?โ
However, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about โWhy do we live?โ In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, โWhy do we live?โ We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.
We werenโt born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, โโWhy was I born a Korean?โ Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, โWhatโs the purpose of living when I donโt even know the meaning of life?โ When we relentlessly continue to ask, โWhy do we live?โ we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits donโt question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, โWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?โ Of course โIt is better to live happily,โ so we should ponder, โThen, how can I live that way?โ This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We donโt live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. โShould we live with suffering or with happiness?โ
Hidden behind the question โWhy should I live?โ is the thought, โI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I canโt make my life special, so I am unhappy.โ Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we canโt live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we donโt eat for 100 days or if we canโt breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we donโt consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of โWhy do I live?โ which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about โHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.