Searching For The Good Life
By John Albano
I left the comfort of my
home at the age of 18. I felt I had
ambitions and goals to meet as I left to
find what I called my "independence."
What does a person desire in life at such
an early age? Probably the same things
most people want; security, enjoyment
in their work, and a life full of good
friends and good times. As I achieved
what others would call "the good life," I
realized there was an emptiness that was
never satisfied.
With all my effort and all
my strength I pursued one goal after
another. "Riches" I thought. "That's
the real key to happiness" I said as I
watched myself rise to the top of the
department that I once submitted to.
When I was a bartender I used to think
how great it would be to have my boss'
job.
And when I gained that position
I realized how wonderful it would be to
have the position of food and beverage
manager; then I could control the whole
operation! I did it! Twenty-one years
old and in charge of over 80 people in
four departments.
The work was unrelenting. I
hated my life because of the work I had
subjected myself to. I was not having a
bit of fun anymore. Did it really matter
to me what I was doing? What purpose
does your life hold if not to be able to
enjoy it. My heart was sad I was
unhappy, and after all that I had hoped
for. The emptiness was still there, the
good life was still not achieved.
"Enjoyment," I thought,
"I'm not having enough enjoyment in
my life," I said to myself as I searched
for what I needed to do to satisfy the
feeling of unrest. I tested all the
pleasures to see what I felt was good. I
tried cheering myself with drugs and
alcohol, with women, entertainment and
hobbies, but that also proved to be
meaningless. I denied my heart no
pleasure, I pursued every crazy idea.
There was truly no limit to what I would
do to achieve pleasure.
But when I looked back at
my life and reflected on all I had done, it
seemed meaningless. The pleasure never
lasted, and neither would the days I had
left. There was no purpose in all of it.
The days became memories and the
emptiness remained. So . I hated my life
and what I was doing and I searched for
the answer to attaining the good life.
People would tell me, "be
glad you are young, you can be anything
you want to be; a doctor, a lawyer, a
successful business man, anything."
But I realized that all those efforts would
only work to improve my name. I
would never be satisfied, there would be
no end. I had the same feeling about
money. The more money I made, the
more I wanted to make. I had a love for
money and therefore I never had enough
of the thing I loved. As my income
increased, so did my wants.
The desire to buy
something once obtained was replaced by
another. I was working harder to fill a
need that could not be fully satisfied.
The desire for more fed on itself and
grew until it became the controlling
factor in my life. My time was being
consumed by it and it would allow me
no rest. What was the purpose in all of
this? I could find no comfort in what I
was doing. I was unhappy even though
I was achieving what I had hoped for.
Capital Times
Stop the world I want to get off. I did
not want to play the game any more. It
all seemed so meaningless.
I watched my friends, my
family, the people I loved toiling with
the same mind as mine. They were
chasing life the same way I was, only to
watch it slip into the past, realizing with
their new wisdom gained through the
years that life was still meaningless.
The oppression I witnessed
around me was sobering. Working for
tomorrow, striving for a goal that lead to
another, reaching for a dream only to be
cut short by time. Looking for
happiness in the darkness of caves,
hitting one wall, changing directions,
and finding another. I found this to be
meaningless too.
I realized then all men have
one thing in common. Whether we were
wealthy beyond our needs and desires or
too poor to attain the necessities, we
shared the same fate. As one dies, so
dies the other. We share the same
bodies; no one has an advantage over the
other. Everything was meaningless after
all.
Realizing total defeat I
gave up looking for the good life. I was
convinced that it was just a dream that
proved itself to be meaningless. But one
day something happened. I actually
found someone that was truly happy.
And he hold me where to find the good
life. "Where," I squealed as I anxiously
waited for his answer having no doubt he
knew the answer by the gleam in his
eyes. "What is it that gives you so
much pleasure," I . asked. "Your
problems are greater than mine yet
you're happy and I'm not. Why?"
"Accept Jesus Christ as
The way my grades are
going I just hope they
are Pass-Fail/
0
-.KU Pee
April 27, 1987
your Savior," he said, "and believe in
him and the emptiness that you have
tried to fill yourself will be filled for
you." I reflected on what he had said and
thought about it for a long time. I
struggled with the thought and tried to
reason the possibility of it sensibly in
my mind, but I just couldn't. But then
after thoroughly thinking it through I
reached a conclusion.
If everything is mean
ingless, what have I got to lose by
trying? So I asked Jesus to reveal
himself to me and I allowed myself to
believe that He was the answer to my
problem.
The following day I
resumed by daily routine. I worked all
day and into the night. But the day
seemed brighter and the night more
calm. I knew in my heart that not
everything is meaningless. The
concerns of the earth last only a short
time, but God endures forever. God
showed me the beauty of everything He
made, and set eternity in my heart. I
know now what that man I once met
meant by what he said, for I know as
surely as God lives forever so will I, and
He has given me happiness. At last I
know how I should live a good life. I
know that there is nothing better for a
person to do than be happy and do good
while living his life. This is the gift of
God.
So I urge you to continue to
look for the good life. Strive to find
happiness every day. Exhaust all
possibilities that you can conceive. And
then, if you finally admit defeat
remember there is still one alternative
left, one hope, one dream, one truth to
obtaining the good life.
Student Art in
Gallery Lounge
The current Gallery Lounge
exhibit features student art produced in
this year's studio art and photography
classes. The show includes drawings,
graphics, paintings, sculptures,
photographs and mixed media pieces. It
will hang through May 10.
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