Friendship

Even though at times they may pester you, friends are always there to help you in some shape or form. It was once said by C.S. Lewis that, “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” What I believe C.S. Lewis means is that friendship is something that makes life worth living. No matter what, friends make one’s life better in so many ways that they cannot be easily listed.

Sure, friendships don’t give people the ability to survive, but instead they give people something to look forward to in life. Friends make the world we live in more exciting and entertaining. They help you grow in the process of finding who you are and who you want to be. Many people would agree with the idea that friends are very important to the well being of any person. Without friendship one would be very lonely and not very happy because they would not have someone with which they can share new experiences with.

In my own life I think friends are a huge priority. I will always make time for them even if I have many things to do. Maintaining the friendships as a whole is very important to me. Over the years I have lost many friends but have gained so many new ones that I hope to keep for as long as possible. Being able to have a friendship is a special thing and shouldn’t be taken for granted because that friendship could end in a heart beat without any warning.

My own friendships have changed and evolved over the years. I may not have the same friends as I did when I was younger but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t just as special and valuable to me. I can always count on my best friend to be there for me through the easy times and the not so easy times. I know that I can go to her when I need cheering up or help when I’m feeling stressed. Without our friendship I probably would not have been able to deal with all the issues I have dealt with. Knowing that I have someone with whom I can go to for support is a comforting thought. Friendships are essential things to have in order for one to be happy. One can always count on their friends to get through events that happen in their life. They make life a more joyous thing to experience.

Life Given Only in Trust

It was once said by John Green that, “We owe the dead and the not yet living the daily awareness that human life is ours only in trust.” Our life is lent to us up until we die and it is our time to give it back.

           

This means that we should enjoy every minute of our lives because we won’t have it for very long. Some may even say to live life to the fullest. I completely agree with this cliché. Humans don’t always have a very long time to do whatever they want and have a good time. Life is a precious thing and shouldn’t be taken advantage of because it wouldn’t be fair to those who no longer are living.

Since it is impossible for humans to live forever we need to realize that it is important to enjoy what we have now and be happy because eventually it will all be taken away forever. I strongly believe in this quote and agree with John Green. Like him, I think it is important that we know that we can’t keep our lives forever. We borrow them for a while and then after we are done using them we give them back. As we give them back we, in a way, allow for someone else to experience the wonders of life.

We must understand and accept that we borrow our life; so that when it is taken back we are not so shocked and angry. The idea that we only borrow our lives is very intriguing. It is strange to see life this way, but at the same time it is also very much exciting. Knowing that we are rewarded life even if it may only be for a short time makes one value every minute of it. Wasting the time that one has is a pretty selfish thing to do. Those who are no longer living are surely angry because they could be doing things with that life that actually mean something and is productive.

John Green’s way of thinking and point of view concerning life fascinates me greatly. It is obvious that he believes life should be lived to the fullest. No matter what obstacles that may be put in front of someone, it shouldn’t stop him or her from living. One must power through it and not forget to remember that life is given in trust.

What Truly is Beautiful?

Confucius once wrote, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” This quote is not that difficult to understand. No matter how something or someone looks on the outside, they are beautiful in some shape or form. It may not always be on the exterior of the object or person, but somewhere deep inside of them.

I think this quote is very inspirational to many people, particularly those who aren’t exactly satisfied with their physical appearance. Now a day, society is so quick to judge someone solely on their physical appearance. If they do not fit into their expectations they are seen as inferior. This quick judgment does not allow one to show just how great they truly are. Sure they may not be the best looking person but they may have the most wonderful personality than even those who are considered beautiful and no would ever know because they are not given the chance to show it.

For this reason many are not able to see the beauty in everything. A good example of this is how many creatures are treated. When someone sees a spider crawling around most people automatically see it as ugly or scary and decide to kill it. What they do not think about at the time is that, sure they are not exactly something you want to cuddle up with, but they are on the Earth for some reason and that reason is what makes them beautiful. Every creature whether beautiful or not has a job that benefits the whole world and makes it a better and more beautiful place.

Another way of thinking of the idea about beauty is that everything no matter what it is, is beautiful in their own unique way. There are no set rules to what is beautiful and what is not. No one has the right to decide this because beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. What one person thinks is beautiful, someone else might think is completely ugly. That is what makes the idea so much more interesting. Everyone is allowed to have their opinion on what is beautiful and do not have to settle for someone else’s idea and just continue to add on to it because not everyone agrees completely on a certain subject. If this is what Confucius meant when he first wrote this then I completely agree with his interesting thoughts on the idea of beauty.

The Many Views on Death

Socrates once wrote, “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” This idea is true in many ways depending on the point of view of a person. People who hate life would support this idea, while others believe that living is a precious thing and should be sacred.

If someone is so miserable in their life and no longer want to have to deal with it and their surroundings then they would agree in saying that death is the best thing that can happen to someone. In order to think this way you have to be so tired of living completely. It is not healthy for someone to think this way because it may result in them hurting themselves. Wanting to escape the horrors in life could be another reason why people think that death is the greatest thing possible. Thinking that life isn’t worth living isn’t the only reason. Many people want to get away from people or things that are hurting them and feel that death is the only way to get away from it all. Death is the only way to get peace in their life.

Death is the final chapter in life and everyone has to go through it eventually. Sometimes it happens far too soon then it needs to be, and sometimes it doesn’t. Everyone hopes to live as long as possible in order to experience everything that life has to offer. The older that people get the closer they are to death but the longer that they live the more they experience. The opportunity to experience a surplus of things makes the idea of death easier to deal with. Though, when death comes too soon, I believe that it is the worst blessing that can occur. It is not right for it to come prematurely. Having it come early deprives them the chance to grow more as a person and learn more than they already did. Once death arrives there is no turning back and end everything that someone has worked hard to accomplish. This is where I find the fault in what Socrates wrote. Sure death can be a blessing for some, but a majority of people don’t agree with him. People want to live as long as possible and avoid death if they can. A lot of humans, including me, think the complete opposite of how Socrates viewed what death meant and was.