What is the real meaning of life?

Life (ˈlīf) noun: the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body.

The preceding sentence was taken directly from Merriam-Webster. It is described as the definition of life. By all means, that definition is 100% true. But what exactly is this 'quality' they describe that separates a vital being from a dead one? It is hard to even think of an answer for this quality, let alone describe it. What is life, and what is the true meaning of it? These were questions that briefly came about in my head after seeing my close uncle's wake earlier on Tuesday. You see, when someone dies that we are close to, we tend to think of experiences from the past with that individual. These experiences we relive in our head, are often ones that make us laugh or smile. And when you think about the goofy or funny things you use to do with that individual, and come back to reality of their death, it triggers a harsh learning that you will never get to have those moments with that certain individual again. Often at times, this 'learning' causes one to feel emotions of sadness, depression and a sense of unbelievable terror. This is very normal. Sometimes we learn that someone died and rarely cry and seem very stable and learn to accept with this fate. Then when you see that individual dead, those memories come rushing back and it all hits you like a ton of a bricks and you can't help but bawl your eyes out like a big baby even if you told yourself you wouldn't cry. The memories we have still bring happiness, which occurred during life, but the sadness we feel after realizing those memories cannot be repeated occur during the individual's death. Life and funny memories connect with feelings of happiness and amusement. It is death and losing someone close that brings about sadness. This example brings me to my belief on life. I believe life is all about experiencing happiness and enjoying life to the fullest. Sometimes life can be short, so it's best to take full advantage of achieving happiness.

How can we really achieve and experience happiness though? It's very simple. Be yourself, don't be ashamed of all your awesome qualities, do what you do best and feel most comfortable, don't hold back and happiness is right around the corner. It's easy to say when we are confused, scared or unsure about something, it generally is not a happy experience. The same can be said about life. However, sometimes life throws us curve balls and gives us lemons. We just have to realize how to get past those obstacles, and realize that when we overcome those hurdles, that we have become stronger and more experienced. The more experience one gains, the more knowledge he or she will also gain. The more knowledge one has, the less confused one is. Therefore, he or she is likely to be less unhappy.

Life is about remembering the good times, and embracing the feelings of joy and happiness that accompany. Think about it. Why would one want to hold grudges and be miserable all their life just to die at the end? Wouldn't it just make sense to laugh and smile more while being grateful for experiencing this 'unexplainable quality' of life? That's the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to enjoy it while we are here, and overcome those hard times that somehow mold us into a stronger person. I know that's what my uncle did. He still found light out of life and smiled, joked and laughed despite fighting lung cancer. If you can bring happiness out of some of the worst situations then you can still make your life feel worthwhile. I finally found a quality that separates me from a non-vital being. The quality of my smile and happiness.