An Examined Life Is Worth Living

I was in my mid-teens when I first heard that the great philosopher Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” I didn’t fully understand it then, but the older I get the more I see the wisdom in those words. Many people refer snidely to “navel-gazing” when discussing people who “think too much.” I believe that many people do focus heavily on themselves, their thoughts, how everything in life appears to relate to them. But I believe the majority of writers are people who are trying to examine the world around them, find patterns, suggest answers or alternatives, find a bit more peace. And I think most of them want to share those thoughts with the world, not primarily to be seen and heard, but to share ideas on ways we can live better lives.

I tend not to read much news and I watch very little of it on TV. So it was only yesterday that I decided to read up on the shootings in Arizona. Because I’d been following the breaking news of an armed fugitive in the Phoenix area last week, I assumed he shot some people before the police arrested him. I was shocked to learn that this was a different shooter in Tucson. It’s a terrible story and I cried as I read some of the articles. I hate feeling so sad for all of these people and believing there’s little I can do now and little I can do to help keep it from happening again. That’s why I don’t read the news.

But I saw a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Facebook (it’s the most current clip on his web site if you’re clicking through today) and Jon said something I strongly believe – the crazy people make the news, but the good decent people are the vast majority. I’ve always believed that and, instead of watching or writing news, I like to read and write about those good decent people. And I like to share my fictionalized views of those people with other people. Why? Because stories change us. This terrible story of a man becoming a killer changes people – look at all the news articles and interviews and political posturing going on.

But the story of a 20-year-old political intern who also happened to have some nursing training is also changing people. Several people are being hailed as heroes. The life of a little girl born on 9/11 and dying in this tragedy is being discussed by people all over the world. The stories of these people’s lives are uplifting, hopeful, inspiring. These stories change people. We once again ask questions about the meaning of our lives. What’s the story behind a young man who trained in a medical area who then decided to get a job as a political intern, and then helped save a woman’s life? My life can never be like that, we say. I’m just a regular person, living a regular life… though I secretly wish it meant more somehow.

That’s what we writers do. We remind people how much their lives mean. We’re Clarence the Angel trying to earn our wings by showing people how special they are, how much they matter. After all, God didn’t create the platypus in his own image; he created human beings in his image. That makes human beings an extremely special part of creation. But they need to be reminded of that. That’s our job.

When and how we publish what we write is both extremely important and immaterial. It’s important that we keep writing, keep encouraging, keep having friends read our work, keep sending it out to editors and agents. But it’s immaterial if you have or haven’t received a check before you help transform a life. You never know who is going to be moved by your words, whether your work is sold or not. It’s your job to keep writing and keep putting it out there in any way you can. Your purpose in life might be in a thousand tiny ways rather than one or two amazing moments. Your struggles and perseverance may be what keeps someone else from quitting – a child, a friend, a stranger – and that person may go on to greatness in his or her field. Greatness they perhaps couldn’t have achieved without you.

My favorite of such stories is about the missionary couple who went to a country in Africa. They spent years there, sharing the message of Jesus Christ’s love and sacrifice so that all humankind could be reunited with the God who loves them. Not a single person decided to accept Christ’s gift. A little native boy helped them set up as they presented the gospel to the local villages, but no one else was at all interested. The couple was eventually called back home because all the support money was yielding zero souls. They were devastated by their failure.

But the little boy grew up, and having heard this story told so many times by that missionary couple, he at some point accepted Christ’s gift and let God change his life. He ended up becoming one of the greatest preachers on the African continent, and thousands of lives were transformed. The story, as I remember it, is that the missionary couple died before this happened so they never knew. They always believed they had failed in their purpose in life.

Don’t give up on your writing. It may be part of your God-given purpose. Your stories of adventurous children or couples in love or the horrors of war or the unexpected blessings of terminal illness may be encouraging people to keep putting one foot in front of another. To keep holding on to their dreams. To have courage to act in spite of a spray of bullets. You may never know how you touch other people’s lives for good. Keep in mind that part of your special encouragement to people is not just through the written word, but the spoken word – encouraging a spouse or friend, laughing with a child, smiling at a stranger. Don’t remain stuck in front of your computer and miss out on your opportunities to change people personally. But don’t let “everything else” take you away from your writing because you’re needed here, too.

Examine life. Then share with others what you find. Someone needs to hear what you’ve learned. We can make a difference, perhaps even be part of a chain of reactions that keeps someone from being shot. You never know. Don’t underestimate the possibilities.

NOTE: For those interested in taking my goal setting and time management class, registration is still open for another couple of days. Read last week’s post to find out how to have a chance to win free enrollment in the class.