Life...Or Something Like It

Have you ever wondered what life is all about?

I do...often.

The institution of religion has on numerous occasions dubbed life as a test. A test for the fittest.

A test of patience. Of tolerance.

Has life ever tested you, then?

It has me. It does everyday. Some days, I pass. Others, I break down and burst into tears.

Have you ever cried?

I have. Often.

Many a times, I have given up on life. I have been driven to the wall, my patience and tolerance reaching an all time low...and in the middle of it all I find myself losing. Falling. Dying.

Just like an athlete who wished for first place, but couldn't even finish last. Pain searing on the inside. Muscles ripped. Heart pumping fast. Brain racking away at its top speed...asking himself the question, over and over: is life all about losing?

Some more crying. Almost wailing, now. You can't take it anymore. You just wish you can run away from it all. Run far away, where no can see you. Not even yourself.

But, as much as you try...you just can't. You can't drop it. Leave it. Ignore it. Or in anyway, get rid of it. Like a heavy stone on your chest, it presses down inside you. Refusing to let go.

Walking down the street, you wonder why everyone around you is upset. Unhappy. Depressed, even. But when you get together, there are smiles everywhere. You, especially, smile the most. Hiding your sorrows under curtains and curtains of laughter. Veiling it all from the world. Acting as if you're the happiest man alive.

Then, suddenly, someone comes by and whispers..."Why the sad face?"

Has it happened to you? It has to me. Can someone out there read your thoughts better than you think they can?

Then why not put a lip, show them your long face...and vent it all out?

Life...or something like it, shall test you, in thick and thin. In health and ail. In poverty and wealth.

Then, when you think you have reached the end of the line...the light appears.

Steadily, crawling out from behind the dark clouds, shining down upon you. Making you feel elated. Enlightened. The ray of hope, warms you on the inside, relieving you of your sorrow. Your misery. It tells you that everything will be okay...

And that, good times, are ahead.

Has it ever happened to you? It has to me.

And...it is all worth it.