The unexamined life is not worth living

The second portion of my final exam was to write a one-page essay discussing my understanding of why Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Here's what I wrote for that.

People gain a deeper appreciation and awareness of life through struggle. We appreciate things for which we must struggle more than things that are simply given to us. And our struggles create a greater awareness of others’ struggles and an affinity towards our common man. Struggle is not pleasant but it is necessary. Without it, we cannot develop as people.

This raises two profound questions that each of us must answer for ourselves:

1. In our finite time on this Earth, what in our lives is worth struggling for?


2. What will our attitude be during that struggle?

The answer to the former question defines who we are and what gives our life meaning while the latter determines our happiness on a day-to-day basis. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." There are plenty of people in this world who are eager to tell us where we should stand during times of challenge and controversy – politicians, activists, theologians, family members, the media, advertising, our peers, etc. Without examining our lives and values, we are highly susceptible to undue influence from others. We take on challenges that are important to them, not to us.

This can manifest itself in subtle ways. For example, in the workplace, we may lament the long hours we work and the fact that it takes us away from our families. We may do it to impress the boss and “get ahead”. We must remember, however, that other people (particular those in authority) may not share our values or priorities and don’t have a true stake in our lives. They may try to impose expectations, demands, or activities on us which we then feel obligated to meet. The only defense against these impositions is a clear understanding of own goals and values, a conviction to achieve them, and a willingness to accept the consequences of those actions (by those who do not share our values).

Our perspective and attitude will then influence our capacity to be happy with our priorities – to emphasize what is there instead of what is lacking. As Charles Swindoll, an American writer and clergyman, put it:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.

As before, there are plenty of people who will tell us how we should react to or feel about the challenges that life presents. We may feel helpless against the forces acting upon us. But, through it all, the thing we can maintain complete control over is our attitude. We can choose how we will react to each situation that presents itself. We may seize control of this power or we may abdicate it to others. That is also our choice – and we will make it largely determined by our understanding of ourselves and whether we are at peace with who we are.