How Can One Live Life to the Fullest?

Life, its secrets, its twists and its intricacies have beguiled men from ages past. In itself, it is a gift of sanctity and grace unmeasured, something not to be squandered while we are in brief possession of it. The living of a full life entails the setting and achievement of goals to square with the human spirit. Laws, politics, accountants, electricity, food, drink, are necessities for the sustenance of life socially, but it is love, friendship, knowledge and God that we live for.

So what is a full life? Some may define it as having lived every moment of life with all the gusto possible and some would say that a full life would have been one that has resulted in the world being a better place due to one's actions and thus leaving the world a better place than before one's coming. However, in my personal opinion, I feel that although betterment of the world is a noble thing, a full life could well be attained by succeeding in goals set, with the guidance on the paths to these goals provided by religion, philosophy and the simple pure goodness of the untainted human heart.

To live a full life, the goals set should be those worthy of attainment. Goals like the quest for knowledge, for love, for friends and for religion may be impossible to completely achieve but they would in the quest to achieve them, teach us things that would enrich our hearts and minds, showing us what life is about and revealing its myriad, untold gifts to us. In opposition, materialistic and shallow goals like the fruitless quests for wealth, possessions and pleasures of the flesh will be doomed to failure from the very beginning. It is a foregone conclusion that seeking transient, illusionary wealth in these forms will result in a life of momentary pleasures ending in despair and hollow regard for a full life is not lived.

The search for knowledge in all its various forms and myraid manifestations is both a noble and fulfilling goal. We should seek to know more about the world for it is humbling to the human spirit and offers more than the human mind can comprehend. Knowledge itself is permanent. What a person has gleaned from his observations and thoughts will be his to keep, nestled in this mind like priceless treasure which none can take away from him. Furthermore, knowledge of the laws that govern our native earth will allow us to be fulfilled by being at peace with a familiar yet hauntingly mysterious home and also at peace with oneself.

Knowledge of self, of one's limitations, faults and idiosyncracies permit one to be comfortable in one's own company. Such knowledge, applied in the context of relationships with the rest of the world would lead to the harvest of fulfilling friendship sown by thoughtful words and well considered action and inaction. This is because if self-knowledge is great enough, we will be aware of our failings and thus rectify them. For instance, if one is aware of his being prone to gruffness at time of stress, he would be wise to make an effort to be polite at those times. This would most surely result in the strengthening of the bonds of friendship. Knowledge of oneself, after being sought, will ultimately help one achieve an inner peace and humility few individuals have ever attained, and remove feelings of insecurity.

However, although knowledge may be sought with great vigour, it must be applied with wisdom. An example being that although one is aware of another's faults, one chooses not to use that knowledge as a tool for leverage against the other. Thus knowledge alone would be insufficient in leading a full life for its application must be tempered with love, religion and wisdom.

In the quest for religion and love, one learns to accept and respect all of God's creation and to love without ,judgement or expectations, a difficult task in itself for we are all too human in nature. In contemplating religion we learn to fear God and learn humility which would force us off our pedestal and be aware of our faults and shortcomings, only to improve ourselves and our relationship with God and his creations. Also, religion fulfils and satisfies the human need to acknowledge an omnipotent protector and will lead to inner peace as one believes he is loved and protected by God, and thus he is able to truly love.

In the quest for love, there are many paths to thread. There are many different forms of love, love of life, love of God, love of self and love of Nature. It is therefore important to be generous in loving and accepting things, which will endow us with the wisdom afforded to those who love.

With knowledge of nature, of its intricacies and miracles will arise love of life and its preciousness. Seek also the love of friends for when all seems lost. They will pull you through hardships and help mould you into a better person. Friends can be reflections of ourselves in countless ways that will enrich, deepen and expand our appreciation of life which is essential for living it to the fullest. That will teach us to cherish the time we spend on this Earth and with its inhabitants. Thus when we accept the world as it is, we see the world we live in for what it is, a singular complex organism, of life, of multitudinous form and wonder.

Lastly, as we work towards these goals, the hard work and effort we put into achieving our goals itself should be reward enough, for if we strive hard and seek to overcome obstacles and barriers with optimism and resolution of spirit, even in failure, we triumph. The struggle to attain the goals set will be as much reward as the attainment of the goals themselves, refining us, our morals, our philosophy and allowing us, in the end, to savour the fullness and richness of life.