Afterlife

 A crucial part of life is the formation and execution of goals. I hold it as my goal in life to continuously set goals and grow, because I feel there to be some deeper meaning to life. I feel that even though that my years on this world would be limited, and for good cause, (I feel that the decades we have on this planet are good enough for us to make a meaningful impact on our souls, and the world around us, and to emerge before the powers above, preparing for the next life) that the source of motivation that drives my actions, goal-setting, and emotions transcend this life.

Even though the time until my life on this world happily marches towards me at a slow, but consistent rate, I am not plagued by a sense of dread of the value of my efforts going to waste. In such a sense, I believe that the time in this world matters, and that I can make a meaningful impact while I live.

Perhaps my sentiment towards the idea of a winter break mirrors that of my general attitude towards life in general. Both are numbered in length, which gives me confidence that they hold a special importance in relation to their surroundings. I feel that I enjoy my winter break with such passion, especially today, since I know it to be short-lived, and thus conclude that I shall spend the period in relaxation from typical work, enjoyment of side projects, and taking pleasure in the absence of daily stressors. On the whole, however, I still think the schoolyear and general schedule I maintain to be important and formative to my personality.

However, the analogy I make between Winter Break and life begins to break down when I discuss the idea of leisure and indulging in pleasure. For, while both happen to be numbered and hold a special purpose, it seems wrong to me that that special purpose in life ought to be ascribed entirely to taking part in leisure and repose. Furthermore, I feel that I would be naive to make such a conclusion, seeing as I view life to be a battle, and believe that one face of life (that makes it hard, but also valuable) is the variability and unpredictability of circumstances. The scenario that Dr. Peterson drew out during this explanation was that of the Jews during the Holocaust: to suggest to them that the meaning of life is to be happy would likely not fly with them, given the bleak, miserable, and sordid (is this the right word?) situation facing them.