What defines a life well lived?
Is it happiness?
I think probably not,
Happiness is a symptom rather than a cure, often short lived and soon forgot,
Could it then perhaps be duty?
Serving a greater cause,
Maybe that’s part of it, to toil in the fields of life without need of praise and applause,
Perhaps it’s the quest for wisdom?
But to gain this you must let life carve its lessons into your soul,
And that learning, is constant, ever changing and evolving, never being complete or whole,
Maybe then it’s the pursuit of pleasure?
And hedonistic rapture should be your measure,
But the truth is that constantly pleasing yourself soon takes the shine off all that you treasure,
Perhaps then it should be love?
The lessons learnt from putting yourself to one side and placing the needs of someone else above,
And the hoping that the joy and sacrifice you’ll find will be enough?
It seems to me more likely that all of these things are paths that lead to one destination,
All chapters in a story full of pure joy, numbing pain and bleak frustration,
And perhaps the definition of a life well lived, after much contemplation,
Is above all else, to seek meaning, and that should be our dedication.