Life is bleak. Life is beautiful. As much as beauty, there is strife. People suffer. People hurt. Constantly. Only when the beautiful parts of life are properly appreciated and one works towards the betterment of oneself in all senses does the value of life move unto the positive. Yet, we must never forget the problems that plague the world and us, the politics that turn the cogs of society, the spite and hate that circulates, the misery that man endures constantly, being fully aware and introspective of these things.
The reason we choose to live is because we look forward to the prospects of the future, enjoy the benefits and teachings gained from our past learnings and achievements while gaining happiness from our current relationships and continuing to endure and improve in the present. I find the meaning in my life to lie in that statement. (Note that I said in, not of, implying life has no innate meaning or value, but meaning is found within it that causes life to gain a meaning/value to a specific person or thing. Meaning is a concept, not a truth. There is no innate “meaning” in nature (referring to the universe, laws of physics) in the same sense there is no innate universal morality, because they are human concepts. We give things meaning and morality, not discover them.)
The greatest happiness in life is derived from the understanding of how to be content, profound and meaningful human relationships and constant improvement of oneself in and of itself, but also to eventually achieve one’s ambitions.