What Gives Life Meaning

Life does not have any meaning whatsoever.  We all live and we will all die.  That’s the one thing we all share in common right? Death, no one knows for certain what happens afterwards but that’s the path we are all headed for.

Someone once said that it is better to live your life like there is a god and find out that there isn’t, than to live your life like there isn’t a god and to find out that there is.  I can’t say most people live their lives in fear of God.  People do great things like helping others, making sacrifices or even simply loving everyone and everything because agapai will get them their ticket into heaven.   I think those things are meaningful in my life though, the act of caring for one another and bettering ourselves in hopes for a chance to sit for eternity with God in our own paradise.  But what does that even mean?  In the grand scheme of things most good deeds are minute and over time go unnoticed.  And in the end, was there any no true meaning behind being sweet and worshiping the Lord, besides the possibility of being in bliss for the rest of eternity after death? 

Nothing makes sense in the world; you just have to find your own meanings for living.  So what if in the end everything doesn’t add up.  It doesn’t make any sense that we are here in the first place from either God’s hand or from billions of years of evolution.  You only live once so as long as people are happy then those small good deeds and all that love keeping the earth spinning is all that matters and that has meaning.

Candide's Crime and Punishments, do they fit?

Candide is quite the unlucky character throughout this story.  He has faced the shadow of death on numerous occasions within his short journey.  He has been kicked out of his home, tricked in to joining the army, beaten, survived natural disasters and has even been threatened to be eaten.  Pangloss would argue that all these things were meant to happen but what were Candide’s crimes that would cause such an unreasonable amount of repercussion, and do his crimes fit the punishments?   He has murdered three human beings and the lovers of two women.  Five souls have been carried away from this earth, by his hand, and yet he still lives his stupid little life without any true change in character.  I guess you could say that the worse crime he has done would have been the killings and he has not been punished, but seeing the way he has been living his life thus far, with all his misfortunes, maybe a fair punishment can’t be too far away.

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living?

I definitely agree with Socrates, the examined life should NOT be lived.  However, I think it all comes down to this; no one can truly say whether another man's life is worth living or not.  My definition of success or achievement is different from the next person’s, so who’s doing the examinations?  I think it is impossible to go throughout life without reflecting on one’s experiences, but examined or not, we still live though failures and triumphs.  By examining one’s life, he or she can make a better living for themselves by finding their true motives and starting their own pursuit of happiness.  Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Life is a journey, not a destination." Life is a journey full of experiences and people should live life to their fullest.  If someone is going through life and has not one purpose or goal set for themselves then they are a waste and simply, should not be living.

Eulogy

Amira Collier, at only 16 years of age, had barely begun her song of life when her spirit left this Earth.  The oldest of four girls, she enjoyed spending time with her family, watching movies and hanging with friends. She wanted to explore the world, like everyone else, and had aspirations of being a commercial airline pilot.  She was passionate about two things and art was one of them.  Amira won a few first place prizes from her pieces, proving her dedication. Her favorite TV shows included Fresh Prince of Bel Air and SNL.  Those who knew her closely knew that she was shy at first but a great listener, a loving person, and down to earth being.  Amira will be remembered by her love of reading, documentaries and chicken.

Amira was always open to trying new things when she was younger and enjoyed her small hobbies of dancing, volleyball and track.  Later in her short life she moved to Chicago from New Orleans.  There she picked up new hobbies and could be found playing basketball and the piano. Music, her second passion, had became something she could not live with out and something she took pleasure in daily after her new interest in the piano.  She liked most genres of music and had been playing the oboe for two years up to her untimely death.  Although she could not hold a tune vocally, she could be found in her home singing throughout the halls. Even if Amira’s song has ended, her melody will linger on. Rest in Peace.