I Leave toYou … Whatever Wisdom I May Have Gained

The Ethical Will of Donald Armstrong, Part 1

Every human life is a unique journey, for which there is no road map. At birth, the beginning of that journey, we are cast into the great unknown. Those who arrived before us–our parents and teachers–will attempt to prepare us for what lies ahead, but in reality they have no way of knowing what obstacles life will place along our path.

And soon enough, while we are still quite young, we learn the terrible truth that will haunt us throughout our lives: we are transients. The journey that we have begun is fated to end, and we cannot know how or when. What comes after, if anything, is the subject of much speculation–but there is very little hard evidence to support that speculation. From what we can see with the naked eye, this journey through life takes us from nothingness back to nothingness.

With that as our backdrop, we have one question to answer — a question that is really inescapable: how shall we live our lives?

Shall we pursue pleasure for ourselves, with little or no regard for any higher purpose? We know, after all, that the time for experiencing the many sensual pleasures that life has to offer is drawing closer to the end each time the sun sinks below the horizon. Or should we, perhaps, attempt the…