Walking the road

All too many times does life present itself as a road to nowhere. There seems to be little good in existence, only occasional glimpses of light in a world full of darkness. Life is no by no means easy. Suffering and toil are constituent parts of human life. It is not something to shy away from, however, but something to be overcome and worked through. At times the path of one’s life may seem to lead to nowhere, and ultimately this may be true for each and every individual-the argument that we are hopelessly scrabbling about in a world we cannot control and will pointlessly perish at the end of a brief hiatus from non-existence is quite convincing. It would be wrong to brandish life as this and nothing else.

The recognition of suffering easily leads to resentment and hatred for the world-people come and go, they suffer, they make mistakes: life is full of tragedy. This isn’t news to humans-the Greeks were concerned with tragedy and how humans deal with it, even if their examples in the plays written were extreme. Nietzsche’s interest in Greek tragedy was ignited by this obsession of the Greeks-how to overcome and live with tragedy. Life is plagued with difficulty, but it should not be fled. There may be, in fact, something worthwhile to be found inside the difficulty. There are things which are utterly painful and seem impossible to get through, but there is a strength that is gained through overcoming suffering. Voluntarily bearing responsibility is not easy and requires a willingness to experience pain. This does not seem at all good at first sight, and fleeing from such a thing would be an understandable response. Yet within this burden there are moments of joy, moments where things appear worthwhile and good, if even just for a second. Among all the pain of life and responsibility there are fleeting moments of jubilance and fulfilment. Moments like these, like all moments, could be argued to be tainted by the realization and conscious knowledge that our existence is fleeting and will soon come to an end-the dread of non-existence and the feeling that everything is ultimately wasted haunts us once more. But frankly this isn’t the right way to live. Constantly looking ahead to the end of life is the wrong way to live. There are times to look ahead and many a tragedy occurs from not doing so, but there are also times to live in the moment and to cherish the present. Life needs to be planned, yes, but it also needs to be spontaneous. It needs to ordered, but also chaotic. It needs balance. Though the light may barely shine through the darkness, even just a few bright moments may make life worthwhile.