A person who suffered heart attack and survived had this to say: “For the first time, I realized that life has a high value. Instead of taking things for granted, I stared viewing life as a gift which should not be wasted away in unproductive activities. I enjoy being with people more. I enjoy nature, seeing buds flowering, trees giving fruits and the advent of spring, which is something wonderful.”

Living life in the present moment, enjoying life as young children do with amazement and wonder, considering work as play and taking sleep as an instrument to reenergize the system are remarkable and pleasurable. Remember, that life cannot be postponed; there is an urgency for living every moment to the fullest. If there is an opportunity to do anything good, do it now, because we will pass this way only once.

Life is a blank slate on which we script the meaning we choose. Many survivors of life open their eyes, wake up and see a new mission and purpose in their lives. People who know that they are dying want to squeeze the maximum out of the time left; they want to make others happy and fulfilled, and they want to forget the exit time and exploit the present.

Virginia Woolf asks: “What is the meaning of life? The great revelation never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illumination and happenings which could never be described.”

A friend of mine who almost died because of high fever but returned from the brink said: “It changed my philosophy in life. From being a passive person, I became an assertive person. I wanted to write, paint and felt that it has got to be now and here. I wanted to go back to school and take a degree as I had very little time left.”

The search for a meaning in life compels people to search for deeper understanding of the nature of life and for a higher consciousness to penetrate the hidden secrets of life. Searchers become more involved in personal growth, religious and spiritual adventures, community living and academic pursuits.