I keep having this question jab at my mind: Is life worth it?
Life is about the possible. Within the story of each human life should be at least one episode about doing something that only has the possibility of taking place.
Each of us should have stretched at accomplishing what is only possible to attain. We will not be satisfied with what we will probably achieve, only what is possible to achieve.
We are not guaranteed happiness in this life, but we can achieve a degree of meaning. When we stretch beyond what is probable to what is only a possible achievement, something important registers in the brain. You enter the ring of possible outcomes.
That ring is comprised of two outcomes: failure and triumph. Failure burns deep into your soul as you attempt to achieve more than what is probable – that is, you fight for what is possible. Try as you may, you fall short of the mark. You experience failure. It never leaves your mind of memories. Through the pain you learn what it takes not to fail again.
Triumph, on the other hand, wakes your soul. All of a sudden you sense you are standing on a higher level spiritually. You survived the incoming flak, you ran through open fields filled with stones and uneven ground, you leaned into heavy wind. And then, all of a sudden, you achieve what was only considered possible.
I must admit, I have stretched more times than I thought possible for a person of my modest circumstances. Yes, I have deep scars caused by my failures. They never go away. Yes, I have had triumphs. They cover over the failures occasionally. Nevertheless, on its own, triumph is sweet. Sweeter than anything I could have possibly imagined.
So to that jabbing question, is life worth it? For me, it has been a life where I have been touched with a tinge of meaning, because I entered the ring of possible outcomes.