The Big Question

Ha ha ha. Morning ladies and gentlemen. I am about to give my opinion on one of the most well known, yet unanswerable of all questions that every half-decent poet or writer has undoubtedly asked themselves, if they haven't already written their answer. So being both gives me a nice advantage.

The Question:
What is life?

Although many think they have the answer, we are all wrong... and right. I'm not going to be psychological on this one or abstract. Well, actually, I am, but not yet. What I mean is, there are wrong answers and right answers, but all miss the vital line of reverse questioning. I warned you I was going to go abstract. What I mean is, if you are asked "What is life?", turn their own smug curiosity on them and ask:

"In what context?"

Sure enough, you'll stun them and again, sure enough, they'll ask what you mean. What I mean when I say, "In what context?", is , "In relation to what? From the perspective of what?"

But surely a question can't answer another question. It simply opens a spiralling path of probability of each line that causes twists and turns with every new question and multiple possible answers there are to the question.

For example, to a mind, Life is what makes the body spark with electricity and pump blood. To a soul, be there such a thing, life would be a way of passing time. "What can we do today? Hmmm. Let's live as a mortal." So context is important.

But this still doesn't answer the question. To one person, life is their lifestyle of luxury and wealth, while to others, it is a poverty ridden hell hole of hatred and fear. So, if you say, "What is life?, and you get the reply, "In what context?", and you say, "That of a person.", they may well reply:

"In what situation?"

Of course there are a billion and one situations any one being may be in, and after that, the spiralling leadings of questions lead through, "What era?" "Hypothetically?" "How did one arrive in such a situation?"

So in the end, the leading spiral of questioning never ceases, therefore the question can never be answered, yet every reply is completely correct if answered in whole truthfulness and not in jest. In one context, situation, era, time frame and all the other parameters, the answer that anyone gives is correct.

So what is life?

"The Big Question."

Most people reply with, "Well, I think life is..."

I won't.

Life is simply what it is. It is what you think it is. It is everything and nothing at exactly the same time. An oxymoronically phrased answer, but with perfect reasoning. Life is a word. Life is an excuse to fear death. Life is a foothold for religion. Life is so many things, but all in all, it comes to one thing.

You can ask every person, alive and dead (Hypothetically), but no matter how many answers you get to this question, the only real answer that should be true and perfectly clear cut to you is the answer you produce. If you find it isn't good enough and feel left wanting, find why you feel the answer's not good enough, but don't look elsewhere. There's no point. The only way you'll get an answer that you'll ever be satisfied with is if you ask yourself and keep probing your conscious mind until you have that satisfying and perfect answer. As for me, I have mine.

If someone has the depth to ask me, "Hey! What's life?", I reply:

"Yeah... What is life?"