The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power

Aristotle, the great philosopher of Greece and student of Plato, once declared: “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” In these words, he lifts the human spirit above the instincts of the beast. For animals eat, sleep, and survive—but man is capable of more. The true worth of life, Aristotle proclaims, is not simply in breathing or enduring from day to day, but in awareness of the world, of oneself, and in the noble gift of contemplation, where the soul communes with truth and seeks wisdom.

The origin of this teaching lies in Aristotle’s vision of the “good life,” which he described as eudaimonia—flourishing, a life lived in fulfillment of one’s highest potential. He taught that man’s unique gift is reason, and thus his highest calling is to use that reason to reflect, to understand, to live deliberately. Survival alone, without thought or reflection, is a shadow of existence. But awareness—seeing the beauty of nature, recognizing justice and injustice, reflecting on one’s purpose—this is what gives life its value.

The ancients of every land echoed this truth. In the East, the sages of India and China declared that meditation and contemplation lead to harmony with the universe. In the West, Socrates proclaimed that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” All these voices converge on the same eternal teaching: to live without awareness is to live half-dead, but to awaken the mind is to live fully. Survival is the body’s duty, but contemplation is the soul’s glory.

History offers a luminous example in the life of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king of Rome. Surrounded by war, disease, and the burdens of empire, he could have devoted his life to mere survival, to maintaining armies and preserving power. Yet he turned inward, writing his Meditations, reflections on duty, mortality, and the meaning of existence. His words, born in hardship, endure as treasures of wisdom. Marcus Aurelius lived Aristotle’s truth: that survival is temporary, but awareness and contemplation carve value into the soul and into history.

The lesson is clear: do not mistake survival for living. To eat, to work, to sleep—these alone do not make a life. True living begins when you lift your eyes from mere necessity and seek understanding. Ask yourself: why am I here? What does justice demand of me? What beauty surrounds me that I have yet to see? In such questions, life gains its ultimate value. Without them, one may survive a hundred years and yet never truly live a single day.

Practical actions must follow. Each day, make time for awareness—walk in nature and notice its patterns, listen deeply when others speak, reflect on your own actions. Practice contemplation—read words of wisdom, meditate upon eternal truths, write down your thoughts to refine the mind. Do not let the noise of survival consume you, for though food and shelter sustain the body, it is awareness that sustains the soul. Train the mind as you would train the body, and you will taste the richness of life beyond mere endurance.

Thus, O seekers of wisdom, take Aristotle’s words to heart: “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” For the grave is filled with those who survived but never lived. Let your life not be counted among them. Instead, awaken your mind, nourish your soul, and embrace the contemplative power that makes you human.

And remember this eternal truth: to survive is to exist, but to contemplate is to live. Seek awareness, and the world will open before you as a book of endless wonder. Embrace contemplation, and you will rise above the fleeting needs of the body to taste the immortality of the spirit. For in awareness lies the value of life, and in contemplation, its eternal crown.