The meaning of Life, Aging & The Final Death; Part 1: Life

What is life? This is a question asked by philosophers, scientists and most every human wandering this planet. To this day, we cannot all agree on what life is, what constitutes it, or what it means. Science tells us that the characteristics which define life, what is living or not living, include being composed of cells, displaying some level of organization, using energy, being capable of reproduction, and being able to grow and development. Of course, not everyone agrees with this definition. Life is one of those few topics, it seems, that we have trouble quantifying or understanding. We just can’t seem to wrap our heads around it. We cannot agree on when life began or how it began. Below, you’ll find a few different opinions on the subject.

We argue over when life begins, when life becomes valuable and just how valuable it is. It seems that not only are we incapable of agreeing on life in general, we are equally as incapable of allowing others to have individual views on the matter. Humans have a herd mentality, we are more animal than we might like to think, we've really not progressed very far at all in some ways. We're looking to fit in or to make those different from us fit into the neat little boxes that make us comfortable, but that's just the problem, those neat little boxes are only comfortable to specific individuals. The saying, "You can't please everyone" comes to mind.

We argue over when life begins, when life becomes valuable and just how valuable it is. It seems that not only are we incapable of agreeing on life in general, we are equally as incapable of allowing others to have individual views on the matter. Humans have a herd mentality, we are more animal than we might like to think, we've really not progressed very far at all in some ways. We're looking to fit in or to make those different from us fit into the neat little boxes that make us comfortable, but that's just the problem, those neat little boxes are only comfortable to specific individuals. The saying, "You can't please everyone" comes to mind.

Life is individual, it is unique in both experiences and perspective. Orson Wells said, “We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone”. I tend to agree. No one thinks exactly as you do, no one shares every single experience, no one shares the exact same perspective or perceives things in the exact same way. We are alone, living as unique creatures necessitates that we be alone in this way, we are alone in our thoughts and our minds. How varied we are, it boggles the mind.

We struggle throughout our lives to be unique and independent, while walking the tightrope line of wanting to fit in. Every year, people commit suicide because they did not feel like they fit in, they were too unique and felt unconnected. We are a strange species seeking a strange balance on high and precarious rocks.

We often confuse the meaning of life with being what we want or desire to be happy and fulfilled or simply to get through another day. The meaning of life is simple, to reproduce and to survive, not only in our generation but for the generations after us; but that alone will not bring each of us happiness or fulfillment, we are a greedy lot. We want more. As a species, we tend to want to see ourselves as greater than other living things, to have some greater meaning in existence, some greater role. It would not do to be mere animals.

“Our fears are informed by history and economics, by social power and stigma, by myths and nightmares. And as with other strongly held beliefs, our fears are dear to us. When we encounter information that contradicts our beliefs, as Slovic found in one of his studies, we tend to doubt the information, not ourselves.”

Eula Biss

Though happiness may not be the meaning of life, it is a goal in life, to be certain. Existence alone is not enough, not for any of us. Our uniqueness brings with it complications, for we each require different things in order to be happy or to feel fulfilled. A life worth living is as unique in its makeup as we are as individuals. What brings happiness to one, brings misery to another and this is the challenge to medical professions.

“Being mortal is about the struggle to cope with the constraints of our biology, with the limits set by genes and cells and flesh and bone. Medical science has given us remarkable power to push against these limits, and the potential value of this power was a central reason I became a doctor. But again and again, I have seen the damage we in medicine do when we fail to acknowledge that such power is finite and always will be. We’ve been wrong about what our job is in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive. Those reasons matter not just at the end of life, or when debility comes, but all along the way. Whenever serious sickness or injury strikes and your body or mind breaks down, the vital questions are the same: What is your understanding of the situation and its potential outcomes? What are your fears and what are your hopes? What are the trade-offs you are willing to make and not willing to make? And what is the course of action that best serves this understanding?” 

Atul Gawande

Multiple studies have shown that happiness, satisfaction or a will to live affect our bodies very ability to live. Some patients die of minor illnesses or injuries without explanation while others seem able to survive anything life can throw at them. Deeprak Chopra says:

“First of all, thinking is "real" medicine, as proven by the placebo effect. When given a sugar pill in place of a prescription drug, an average of 30% of subjects will show a positive response. What causes this response isn't a physical substance but the activity of the mind-body connection. Expectations are powerful. If you think you've been given a drug that will make you better, often that is enough to make you better.” 

 I've included a link to a Tedx Talks on the subject below.

Medical professionals must come to recognize that health encompasses more than just the meaning of life, the definition of life, or what it takes to sustain life physically. The greatest part of us is within our minds, this is what makes us who we are and the health of our body holds little meaning without the health of our mind, without happiness and a will to go on. As we age, this only becomes more important. We, as future health professionals, must understand how to care for each person individually, not as another body, but as a whole and connected person. Care must become highly individualized. I'm sure that there will be some struggle along this path, learning how to exchange the current conveyor belts in our hospitals and our care facilities for truly compassionate and more human care, but it is worth the trouble when you realize that one day you too will become sick or old and will suffer whatever services you leave in place or benefit from whatever changes are made.

It's time to focus less on the scientific/medical meaning of life and more on its fulfillment.