When I was eighteen I decided that The Priority in Life is simply to Survive. I cherish life. The blunt fact that we all Die eventually fills me with sorrow and resentment. If ever I talk of suicide, send me to a shrink. I Love Life. Yet surely there has to be more to life than survival and existence.
That is where our great religions come in. They try to teach us what is Good, what is valuable and worthwhile. Religions also warn us of the other side of the coin: Evil. Yet when you consider everything, Goodness is born from logical common sense. “Thou shalt not kill”: well, of course not! Stealing is not too clever either. And so on. What is needed to preserve and cultivate life is often quite obvious. Love is the key. Yet sometimes “doing the right thing” is very difficult: e.g. the police sniper shooting someone who is about to murder some people. It is comforting to have God’s backing, but the bottom line is whether an action enhances someone’s life in some way. We talk of humanitarianism here, but I would call this “Lifism”: cherishing and maintaining all life-forms.
So, picture your Paradise (“Regained”). I visualise a universe teeming with life: rampant vegetation, plenty of water, animals roaming the plains and swinging through the trees. Innumerable trees. Towering mountains, sweeping savannas, golden beaches and swelling oceans. I see finely designed citadels dotted upon the landscape. People of all colours and creeds going about their business, happy in the knowledge that they are safe, housed and well fed. No wars, strife; no haves and have nots. Here in Britain we seldom have the weather, but surely we can manage the rest. Sure, I am an Idealist, but at least I have something to aim for. Yet we can all aim together. Conservation, yes, but really we need more. We need to actively cultivate people and life in general.
Just look at the world and try to acknowledge all that is good. There are some very bright intelligences around, especially amongst the young. Enjoy your arts, sports, technological wizardry, and so forth. That glass there is not half empty, but half-full. Feel your Inner Strength, be Positive. (Eastern Wisdom is great for this). Love Life indeed. You only live once (in this form). “Carpe diem: seize the day.” Then keep seizing.
As someone told me, touch everything that you can. Do not stay aloof. Get in there and participate. Do not mull over the meaning of life too much. Just Do.
