"Life"

​by C. Ikpoh

If life is pain by the definition implied through the famous saying, then how do we know what pain is? The latter suggests pain is all we know, but if it that were true, would we not simply understand it as life and not pain as we currently know it to exist? Similar to pain are the notions of love and happiness. If they were all that life entailed, would we not simply understand these notions as life itself, and not love or happiness as we know them to be? The same can and must be said about all things alike.

The idea life is one particular state of being induced by a specific emotion or feeling is as sensible as saying life is every state of being encompassed in one journey. They both defy the possibility of achieving harmony with oneself and the universe, which expels emotions and feelings entirely. Therefore, life cannot be one thing and it cannot be all things.

Life is not defined. When one understands this, they begin to realize the once invisible path beneath their feet is tangible. They also realize it is not beaten. The path is still virgin to any travel because it has not been journeyed upon yet. It knows nothing of definitions because you cannot define what has not existed. Life is simply life, and nothing more. To discover the meaning of our existence, to achieve any understanding from the impossible task of actually defining life, we must live it.