Les Henson
We all have a life but are we truly living? Are we merely passing through the motions? What is the difference, and when do we know that we are living life to the full? Is the difference simply one of the qualities of life, or does it relate to the meaning of life? Many people in the world don't have the freedom or privilege to ask such questions because they use all their strength and energy to survive. They have no options or very few opportunities. They are victims of injustice and oppression. They work in sweatshops or live on the fringes of mega-cities around the world in slums. They live in countries where the earth has been brutalised or deforested so that the elite can make their fortunes. They live under the tutelage of mega-corporations that require their executives to make a fast buck at the local or indigenous people's expense. I could go on and pile example upon example, but the reality is that we in the West need to live differently and more simply so that others can live. Then maybe they will have the time and the energy to ask and think about the more philosophical question of life, supposing they want to, but most likely they will be simply glad to have a life worth living.