Living the Good Life

Today, my Philosophy professor posed the question, "What does it mean to live the good life?" One response was "to have more happy experiences than sad experiences." Another was "to make a difference in the world." Another, "To fulfill my destiny."

That final response caught my attention. It made me think specifically of the following quote from Forrest Gump: "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time."

I am extremely fond of that quote. In my opinion, the purpose of Forrest Gump is to show how everyone's life can be compared to a feather floating around in the sky. That feather is floating around randomly, completely by chance. But when it lands, that was it's destiny.

This is just like life. There are so many options and factors that determine what we do everyday. But in the end, we end up where we end up. Destiny? I say yes. We were all brought here for a reason, and we were all brought here to do something. Is that something to become a Professional Baseball Player, or a Mathematics teacher, or to raise money for charity? Perhaps, but it is different for everyone.

When my High School Track & Field coach passed away after a fight with Brain Cancer, I felt that it was my destiny to do something about it. I felt as if my coach's story had to be shared with the world (more on this in my next post). In that specific instance, I just had a feeling that something needed to be done.

On the flip side of things, one may ask, "I don't believe in destiny." My response to that person would be the following: Yes you do, you just don't know it yet.