Today, if you ask a teenager what makes life worth living, you will get an amalgamation of answers ranging from music, movies, girlfriend and boyfriends and so on. But one of the most outstanding answers would be their smartphone. If you threaten to take this device away from your child, they will move heaven and earth to prevent that from happening. To them, this is the gateway to happiness.
You could argue that the reason they figure their smartphone makes life worth living is because it is their way of staying connected to their friends and the world in general. The amount of selfies in those smartphones, however, may suggest that maybe it is not so much the connection to friends that they value but the platforms these phones present for them to showcase their own vanity.
Self-Centered Living
Unfortunately, a great deal of the world is more self-centered than we would like it to be. That being said, there are several things that make life worth living. No matter how you look at them, these are the things that give us the most joy, the most sorrow and the most peace and tranquility. This list is obviously subjective but most of these things are widely regarded by a majority of human beings as being the salt of the earth.
This has to be at the top of the list. We are, after all, social creatures. Love, however, is a strange master. When it is reciprocated, it can be the most fulfilling sensation in the world. When denied, it could lead to adverse effects such as depression, anger and in some cases suicidal or homicidal tendencies. But despite all this, we can’t help but love, even if it is just love of self.
Joy and happiness
Even though these are sensations brought about by other things. By relationships you have in your life and the things you do together. You share these moments. Joy and happiness are the two things that make most lives worth living. They actually make most things worth doing. Almost everything we do is in pursuit of happiness. You may think that you are working for money and for the finer things in life but in actual sense, you are working towards these things so that they can afford you joy and happiness.
Sex, Music, and Food
Sex makes the world go round. No doubt about it. Physical intimacy is just one of those things that every human being craves and if you do find someone who can make you reach your own sexual Nirvana, then you may have just found you own little piece of paradise. However temporary it might be. They say that music is the bridge between Heaven and Earth. Good music has a way of taking you to places you could never physically go but simply must visit every now and again. So does good food.
Travel, spirituality, self-awareness and reaching epic levels of self-fulfillment are just other things that make life worth living. Then of course there are material possessions. If you have ever driven a luxury sports car up the coast of California you know what we are talking about. Again, this is highly subjective. The truth is, if it moves you, brings a smile to your face or fills you with a sense of contentment, then to you, that is the one thing that makes life worth living.
The Problem
The problem is that sometimes, that thing is not exactly acceptable to close friends and family or in the general community setting. That does not change the fact that for you, it makes life worth living.
