These are miner’s lettuce. They grow wild along many of the hiking trails we go to, specially in wide open fields. They add a dainty white delicacy to a scenery of wild flowers abloom in springtime. They are also a delicacy as a salad, introduced to us by Chef Camille.
I often wonder, were these plants created so men have some pleasant eye-candies to enjoy and something palatable to put on their tables? Or seeing how beautiful they were, men discovered they were also tasteful to the palate? But do those questions really matter? All that matters is that they exist. They are. There is a reason for them to be there. Otherwise, they won’t be there.
I am. There must be a reason why I am here. Like the miner’s lettuce, I have everything I need to be and to exist. That is the basic law of nature. For everything that exists, there must be a reason; there must be a cause.
And while praying this morning, I realized that I have no reason nor cause to ask anything from God. Because I am here, I have everything I need. Because I am, everything and anything is possible. If I am not, then nothing is possible. If I have everything I need, then why do I still pray for what I think or feel I need?
The only real and right thing to ask for in prayer is for me to discover why I am here. What is the reason why I exist? What is the purpose why I have been given my life? This realization really got me thinking.
Thank you for sharing your essay with us, Verne. The last para particularly got me reminded of what a meaningful life is. A meaningful life is when you give it a meaning. Living happily is not equivalent to living meaningfully, unless you are happy because you have given much of yourself to others. I once watched a video sermon by Bishop Sheen on “wasting one’s life” for others. If I got his message right, living one’s life for the sake of others may seem wasting it but is in fact a life well lived. If along life’s path you found your life’s purpose and worked hard to realize it, that is achievement. It will make you happy, fulfilled, successful. But it is not the same as having lived a meaningful life, unless your achievement had helped people and society become better, more caring and loving. If it did, you would have achieved a purpose that is far bigger than yourself. And meaning comes to your life not as something pursued, but something that ensues from the kind of person you have been and the attitude to life you have shared.
Thanks, Raoul.
Your visit and comments are always appreciated. Indeed, if we can make what is meaningful as the source of our happiness, that is the real purpose of living. But all too often, people mistake happiness as the easy, painless and pleasurable king of life. Meaning is often achieved only after a lot of pain and suffering.
Keep well and happy, my friend.