The Meaning We Make
In the vast tapestry of existence's art,
A question lingers in every human heart,
What's the meaning, the purpose, the way,
To navigate the night and greet the day?
Is it predestination, a carefully charted expedition,
Or through choices and chances, our own volition?
Does a divine cosmic author pen each complexion?
Or do we write our stories without restriction?
Some souls posit it's destiny, a meticulously drafted odyssey,
An intricate trajectory, each turn foreseen.
But others exclaim, in a different refrain,
That existence's essence is our sovereignty.
For in the depths of our mortal strife,
Lies the crux of the human life.
Is our fate an immutable dictate?
Or a canvas on which our will can create?
A script pre-inscribed in primordial tables?
Or a narrative where our vision is able?
A meandering brook whose course was determined long ago,
Or an open sea where we chart our own ebbs and flows?
Is life a purpose engraved in adamant like a memorial obelisk?
Or a sojourn of discovery where we illuminate our own perspectives?
A symphony of fragments, selections, tension and rest,
Whose significance we construct, manifest.
Through the laughter, the weeping, the passion on display,
In the narratives we spin along the way?
For meaning, the sages impart, is not excavated but pioneered,
In the compassion we furnish, the dreams spearheaded.
In the bonds we cultivate, the bridges we lay,
In the light we spread to illuminate the way.
It's in the hands we clasp, the empathy we engender,
In the seeds of hope we scatter and tender.
In the inspirations sought, the revelations found,
In the depths of our psyche, consciousness unbound.
So ponder this inquest, explore its arts,
In your mind's recess, from the heart it starts.
For life's quintessence is not a puzzle to reconcile,
But a pilgrimage to treasure, an enigma to reconcile.
We are not presented meaning but architect our own,
Line by line we emboss life's poem.
With each choice a word, a thread in time's loom, a note in a refrain,
Together crafting a symphonic tapestry, sublime.
In the end, it's not what happens you see,
But the grace, wisdom, conviction to believe.
That regardless of what lies ahead,
Through insight and empathy meaning can be bled.
It's the courage to comprehend, to witness life's scenic vista,
And make of its fragments an optimistic vista.
Knowing that through darkness and light,
We can extract beauty, purpose and insight.
For our existence is not to passively admire,
But to actively engage in all its glories and quagmires.
This world an opportunity to learn, discern, feel,
And help one another heal.
To squeeze meaning from sorrows and bliss alike,
That is the human life.
So let your days be blessed tutorial sojourns,
Find inspiration in all, anxiously or taciturn.
See life not as problems but prospects to mold,
To uplift, enrich, and embold.
Treat each precious moment as a gift to engage,
Find purpose not in longevity, but living each page.
For when the final curtain falls,
It matters not, the size of life's halls,
But how we filled them with compassion and verve,
Each day sowing goodness, so souls can thrive and serve.
This lifetime's potential ours to master,
To help, create, love, make better.
Through empathy and will we can help all inherit,
A just world, where all spirits merit.
Equal chance at joy, suffering made brief,
Where goodness is shared, sorrows made brief.
So may we ever open each new morn,
With hearts softened, imaginations transformed.
To see beyond surface, to make real life's meaning,
By loving, discovering, truth pursuing, kindly intervening.
Then whisper at journey's end, I lived well,
I honored each breath, broke free from fear's shell.
Lifted others up, gave voice to the voiceless,
Bore witness to both beauty and the formless.
I leave behind a legacy of compassion's increment,
That even if subtle, made a life excellent.
So fret not the unraveling of dreams, health, roles,
But engage life boldly, wisdom extol.
Drink deeply from love, laugh often, lessons accrue,
That is the purpose, these words ring true.