Today in my business accounting class the professor shared a thought-provoking quote:
“Life is a sexually transmitted disease ending in death.” – via Hank Adler
This simple yet profound statement compelled me to take this moment out of my day to ponder the meaning of life. Although life is often described as a gift – an idea I am not trying to debate – it is interesting to think of life as a disease, or a curse. According to the American Heritage Dictionary a disease is:
A pathological condition of a body part, an organ, or a system resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
So far, a human’s life seems to fit the proposition. We are born, naturally and genetically flawed, growing up with symptoms of our imperfection: susceptibility to sickness, external blemishes, and internal failings. We grow old and in the end we die. Of course, can there be life or existence without death? Just as shadows prove the existence of sunshine, doesn’t death prove that we are alive? The ultimate question, I believe, is this: Is life – living – a curse or a gift? Is being alive purposeful or meaningless?
Well, that’s about all the pondering time I’ve got for today. Please, don’t be afraid to share your take in the comments below!
Update: By doing a quick Google search, I think I’ve found the origin of this quote.
As always, you amaze me. Now I am going to go and ponder your pondering.