At Moraine Lake, ten jagged peaks surround the turquoise blue waters as if they have crowned the lake as the Queen of the Canadian Rockies. The mountain tops cling to clouds of the fear of getting stripped naked in public. I sit atop a rock and take a deep breath. Space expands, and things get quieter in my head. I am in the company of trees, rocks, and grass as we all look in amazement at the magnificent beauty we behold before us. We all become eyes only. There is no past, and there is no future. It is just one single moment stretched to infinity in which we all dance in silence on the drumbeat of my heart.
The mother natures marvels on us. The sun takes a peek through the clouds. The newly born shadows begin to crawl and then stand up and dance with us, hiding, revealing, and making funny shapes. Soon the whole universe is dancing in unison with us, the air, the mountains, the water, and the spirits of our ancestors. “Woohoo!” I shout with excitement. Suddenly, the music stops. The sun pulls the curtain of clouds on its face and kicks me out of the dance celebrations. Right when I was about to take the first sip of true happiness, I spilt the drink.
According to Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate goal of human existence.
How can we reach this goal then? I believe the purpose of life is to fulfil your potential and realise self-actualisation. It is only through justifying our existence that we can unearth the source of true happiness within ourselves. Through contemplation, strong determination towards the goal, faith in their abilities, good intentions towards others, everyone can take on an arduous journey towards happiness. It doesn’t have to be one giant leap, it can be one pedal at a time, like in my case.
Back at the Moraine Lake, I look at the trees for their affirmation. They continue to sway silently, looking satisfied, not bothered by my thoughts. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and disappear; becoming the wind circling in the sky, kissing the snowy peaks, and creating ripples in the lake!