Fun and Games

A Game of 'Would You Rather'

     Would you rather live or die? On its own it's a very simple question. But, when certain variables are added to the mix, it becomes quite a challenging decision.

     First, death. Death has frightened creatures since the first organism existed. To some, it is still as frighteningly real as it has ever been. From a more philosophical point of view, death is what is next, the afterlife, the next step in the chronic cycle of life. Religions such as Judaism, however,  believe that by achieving enlightenment you can stop the cycle. This includes the prospect of past lives, future lives, and the idea of destiny.

     Regardless, death may also be viewed as a silent, peaceful state of eternal tranquility. You see, life from some views is bland and full of pain. A handful of people think that life is just a cycle of painful experiences until your body become too feeble to uphold the burden of it all and you are given your final reward: death.

     Every year, many suicides are caused by loss. It doesn't truly matter what was lost, but it was obviously something that they had valued over their lives. For example, let us use the story Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the famous play, Romeo commits suicide upon learning of the supposed death of Juliet. After Juliet awakes and finds Romeo dead, she too takes her own life. Although fictional, this is a prime example.

     If you had a lover, friend, cat, or anything you felt close to, their death or them leaving, for example could inspire many things. This includes mental illness, self-mutilation, and suicide.

     Up next, the benefactors of life. Life is both beautiful and terrible in itself. There are different opinions as mentioned before.

     In life, you are granted access to chemical reactions in the brains that we as humans have come to know as emotions. These emotions can be arranged in a spectrum ranging from loss to love. This can vary, of course, between other strong emotions such as fear, wrath, and lust. Depending on who you are and what you do, who you interact with, and so on, you are exposed to some emotions more frequently than others. For example, if you tend to drift around the social spectrum, you are bound to be more happy, as you make more and more friends. Likewise, if you allow yourself to be a doormat, you are to feel fear and feelings of isolation.

     But, why 'would you rather'? Well, the answer is quite simple. Would you rather have to deal with negative emotions for years to come or not? Would you rather keep feeling happy and live a normal life? Would you rather live the tiring, empty life of depression? Or would you rather be at peace for the rest of eternity?

         Personally, I'd choose the latter...