In my approaching old age,
I am now supposed to share
with you what life has taught me,
and in the end to encapsulate
for you what is the meaning of life.
From where I am now,
I find that these conundrums
are easily answered.
First, life teaches us that,
whether we perceive it as predestined or as random,
it is beyond any person's control.
Second, there is no template for the meaning of life.
Instead, the meaning of life
is what you choose to make it mean.
In making your choice, when you reach my age,
your journey becomes an affirmation
of the warning
that life is a consequence of our moral choices.
Miriam Defensor Santiago
