LIFE, what is it?

A twelve year old ask what is life? Would you please break it down for me?
If possible would you break it down so a twelve year old can understand?
Why I am in this world and what am I suppose to be doing?

I thought for a minute or two, then I replied RESPONSES, life is simply a series of responses that only you can create. Only you, can create how you will respond in your life, all that you are and all you will become is a collection of wonderful RESPONSES.

Human beings are the only creatures on earth with free will. This is what I was thinking about when I responded to his question.

Now this was my simple reply.
What is yours?

Love to all
cw

I believe life is like what Shakespeare said...it's about being on a stage of our own design. We are the writers, actors and players in our own dramas. And yes it's about our responses. Over the years I've noticed my responses have changed in form and substance. I think this is a good thing.

I'm not sure that humans are the only ones with free will. I'm beginning to believe there are other animals who have it too, to some extent. As I watch my cat, I see the choices she makes. I believe she has freewill.

Yo cweiters,

This should become an excellent discussion, which I'll come back to with a more complete reply once I give it more thought. The short answer might be that is whatever you percieve it to be, even the bowl of cherries of a once popular song.

John

Originally Posted by cweiters

A twelve year old ask what is life? Would you please break it down for me?
If possible would you break it down so a twelve year old can understand?
Why I am in this world and what am I suppose to be doing?
cw

I think that the bolded part of the question is the easiest part to explain in simple terms, cw... and I would do it something like this:

"One is supposed to be living from moment to moment, and facing every experience and every interaction with other living beings, with love in one's heart".

Living from moment to moment will mean that the past (experiences) will not colour nor limit our response to the present - the past doesn't act as a "filter"; and living from the heart means that we both appreciate what others are feeling, and are open to receive from within ourselves the most loving and appropriate response.

It is difficult to avoid coming to some "assessment" of life-situations as they happen; but if we can at least try to assess them with the idea of "what is the best for all concerned" rather than as "good" or "bad", it may help us to live "from the heart". I realise that sometimes things happen too quickly for one to sit and think about it; in which case one's habits of thought and approach will probably largely determine the response - unless we are truly in communion with our heart-centre most of the time.

I believe we are here to re-present God and His/Her Loving nature on the physical plane of life, and to gather the experience of what it is like to be that. What do you reckon?

With love,
Pounamu

Greetings..

"In the beginning there was 'God"... nothing else, just "God".. no one to interact with, no mirrors, no feed-back.. a bit lonely and no way to know itself.. in a great act of Love and sacrifice, "God" shattered itself into a Universe of energies and experiences, all with the inherent memory of its "Godness".. we call that memory "spirituality".. The first "commandment" was likely, "Go, experience each other, tell me what I AM".. Life is the experiences AND the experiences are the purpose.. We are "God" expressing itself, so that it might know itself...

Be well...

Thank you all for your time and answers, its not easy for an Adult to define life in simple terms. We have many definitions based on our personal experience, concepts, beliefs, behaviors all about the changing responses of life. A child is new and inexperienced, we are experienced and have developed certain concepts and rituals that work for us.

This child also help me to realize how much we grown folk complicate life, with our long drawn out explanations. Which is exactly what he said; Please don't give me a long drawn out speech.

I said Wow! How do I explain life with out making a speech, or talking about the many aspects of life. Funny, Packwidget I thought of Shakespeare and Love as TzuJanLi mentioned but I said to myself , what one word could I use that he would understand? One that was simple and not open the door to more questions. As much as I believe love is sugar of life, I knew it would only lead to the question what is love? 0

I love this answer Paunamu, which is one I'll incorporate for myself:
Each moment of life I re-present God, especially knowing I am made in the image of God.

Love to all
cw