Over the years I have lost many loved ones and acquaintances young and old. Through these experiences I have found one thing that puzzles me, the definition of a "good life". When someone young dies it's tragic and heart wrenching but when someone elderly passes away we find ourselves saying they lived a long "good life". Does being old define your life as being good? You could be a rotten scoundrel and die at 97 and people will still say you lived a "good life". Not because of the good deeds you did or didn't do, but because of the long life you lived. When someone dies young it's our reaction to feel cheated of the time we won't have together. We look at what we have lost and not the life that was lived. Therefore we define their death as tragic or unfair regardless of whether they lived a "good life". It seems unfair that age be the gauge by which our lives are defined as good because we truly don't know who has lived a "good life". In the end I must conclude that a "good life" is really not ours to define.
A good life can be short -- but we grieve so when we feel someone did not get a full life. Our lives can turn so sharply on a dime or in a instant -- we must smile and try to enjoy the days we have. I have missed opportunities that I wish had to do over again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.