Voices of faith

faith q & a

Voices of faith: What is the main thing that makes life worth living?

The Rev. Duke Tufty, pastor, Unity Temple on the Plaza, Kansas City, Mo.: At some point in the distant past you came into this world a very unique individual, unlike any person who has ever lived. Today, you live in a fast-forward world of transition and change that oftentimes can seem chaotic, confusing and incomprehensible. I suggest three things that can maximize your life experience.

First, don’t take life so seriously. Our world, and especially our culture, is fraught with worry, fear and anxiety – most of which does nothing but deteriorate our physical and mental health.

Secondly, don’t take things so personally. Much of the anger, angst and negative energy you encounter has nothing to do with you.

Lastly, remember, in the grand scheme of things, your daily objective is a simple one. Fit into this world and be a beneficial presence. Make this Earth a better place because of you. In addition to expressing your good into the world, you will find a strong sense of purpose, meaning and self-worth.

The first paragraph of “The Desiderata” gives outstanding direction on how to approach life: “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.”

The Rev. Pat Rush, pastor, Visitation Catholic Church, Kansas City, Mo.: The June issue of The Atlantic magazine carries the article “What Makes Us Happy?” I suspect what makes us happy is similar to what makes life worth living. The article details a 72-year study conducted at Harvard. It claims that some mix of love, work and psychological adaptation seems to make us happy, but it concludes that in the end, the only thing that really matters in life is our relationships with other people.

In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus offers a Last Supper prayer in which he says he is the vine and we are the branches, and he sets as our life’s goal that we stay attached and remain in his love. We accomplish that, Jesus says, by loving others as he has loved us.

To the Harvard study, therefore, the Gospel adds the vocation that it is by living our relationships with others in the way that Christ lived his relationship with us that really makes life worthwhile.

A happy, worthwhile life is achieved through a sense of integrity with one’s higher values and better self. Faithfulness to others for the long haul and not just when it is easy, generosity in our response to those who rely on us and to those less fortunate, forgiveness of offenses real or imagined, and moral and ethical decision-making, these together make life worth living.

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