The Good Life, According to Me

I want to live a good life. I want to dream, to fail, to succeed, to experience the world, and to know what it means to be alive. I want to be present in my life, working to the best of my ability, and glorifying God—if not with my achievement—with my dedication.

I value my religion, and as such, it is the central force of my Good Life. I believe that it is our purpose to glorify God and achieve as best we can with what He has given us. God has blessed us all with the gift of life on this earth, individual talents, and the treasure we all possess. I want to treat others as I want to be treated, if not better. As proclaimed by Jesus in Matthew 25:40, “Insomuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” With all that He has given us, we must, in turn, give as well, dedicating ourselves to the improvement of the lives of others.

An exemplary figure of this ideal is Jackie Robinson, a man who, as a baseball player, put himself in danger for the advancement of racial equality. His life was threatened wherever he went, yet continued to remain a public figure. He is a true hero who stood up for the better treatment of others, and he said: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” It is right and just to do for your fellow human as you would wish to be done unto you.

While sports may contain heroics within the context of the games themselves, they also house many people who have used their talent and subsequent monetary gain to help others. Another legendary baseball player, Roberto Clemente, earned his reputation on and off the field. Besides being one of the most exceptionally talented players in the history of baseball, Roberto constantly reached out to assist those in need. At 38 years old and still a successful player, he died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972. His flight was destined for Nicaragua, whereupon he and others were to deliver goods to victims of a recent earthquake that struck the country. As great a baseball player Roberto Clemente was, he was an even better person. He knew what our life’s importance is, exemplified when he said: “Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't do it, you are wasting your time on this earth.” The Good Life is having enough to be able to give to others. Since we surely have more than enough, this is easy. All that we’re missing is actually giving it.

To have safety, security, and the peace of mind that comes with them is what I would have once said to be a crucial aspect of the Good Life. While I still want to feel these, the focus has shifted from living as long as I can to living the best that I can. It is more important to live a life that I can be actively proud of than to rest on the hope that I’ll “have the time later” and not do anything presently about it. We must actively do the best we can, with a constant mindful purpose that allows us to find our passion and follow our dreams. Within this framework, there is no “next time,” in the respect that we cannot limit ourselves with the thought that we’ll try harder at a future opportunity. That isn’t to say that we can never rest, but as in baseball, the most effective change-ups are thrown after an especially strong fastball. Thus, the harder we work, the more satisfying our rest will be. Even when we have reached success, we must not let achievement limit us either. As Jack Kerouac wrote in his novel Dharma Bums, to the character that represented himself: “When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing, Smith.” We may never finish contributing to each other, to society, or to our own growth. To live a life that we can look back on and be proud of, we must never avoid dedicating ourselves.

For one to truly know what happiness is, it may be necessary to know the stark opposite: depression, and even its deepest depths, suicidal ideation. In the same semester that I focused on the ideas of Getting a Life, I also explored self-inflicted death in my psychology topic course, entitled Suicide and Depression. Throughout the semester, I learned about how an individual may want to end his or her life, being overcome with feelings of helplessness, haplessness, and hopelessness. Studies have shown, however, that the vast majority of suicides are committed by people who do not truly want to die. They have just come to the conclusion that their lives cannot be turned around, and they exhibit their poor coping skills in a horrible way. At the class’ conclusion, we were all given certificates that named us as “suicidal interventionists,” with the purpose of—if ever given the chance—saving a human life. If we ever come into contact with a suicidal individual, we are to help them as best we can; I pray that I will be able to get that person to understand that while life can certainly be bad, it can also be good.

To live a Good Life, I want to appreciate what is around me, understanding that my life can always be worse than it is. With sports occasionally providing a microcosm of life, I will point to this year’s football season, wherein the Tennessee Titans won their first four games decisively, and immediately received media speculation about being the best team in the NFL. When star linebacker Keith Bullock was asked about the team’s prospects, he said, “We still have a chance to go 4-12.” This is the type of attitude that I like. I don’t mean this because I’m a fan of a rival team, but rather, because it exemplifies that in life, you just can’t afford to become complacent. You must seize control, and understand that, however you perceive your life to be, your situation can change in an instant. I have often envied those that were injured, or were in some kind of physical rehabilitation, for I felt that they truly know what it is to appreciate what is to have life and limb. I remember reading of a cancer patient when I was younger, who had said that when he knew that he only had a short time to live, the final years that followed were truly “gravy.” He was able to see the importance of living your life and enjoying it, all by feeling a sense of finality by recognizing its end. We may never know when our heart will cease to beat, but we can understand that it will, and use that knowledge to empower us.

To know wabi-sabi is an essential part of the Good Life. It is the appreciation not of what is pristine and “perfect,” but what is used, and has shown signs of life. Most appropriately, this can be applied to ourselves, and an unloved aspect of getting older in this society, that seems to be just as cringe-worthy as aging itself: wrinkles. It’s fair to say that most people that have them want to get rid of them, and they will try any new drug or procedure to smooth their face to a degree that defies physiology. When you realize where how these unwanted “blemishes” form, however, it gets you to think: why would you not want to show the world that you’ve laughed? Why would you hide that you’ve smiled, that you’ve squinted to see the world, or that you’ve shown concern for those that you care about? If Botox induced memory-loss, you wouldn’t trade the experiences that have defined your life for what you think is a superficial enhancement, would you?

The Good Life is to keep present the idea that we have a life to begin with. Our lives contain endless possibilities, so why would we not embrace it for what it is? Often we hear that people view their existence as a glass that is either half-full or half-empty, denoting whether they approach the world with an optimistic or pessimistic disposition. Regardless of whether you ascribe to either side, why not just be happy that you have a glass?

All of these ideas have a shared message: with one life, why waste time? Why limit yourself, or keep yourself from succeeding, or caring for others? "I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give," said Roberto Clemente. May we all aspire to be people who gave all we had to truly live.