Survival

The purpose of life is to live.

Life cycle  
Part of the ecosystem.  
 
To be planted,  
Grow  
Bud  
Flower  
Thrive  
Bear fruit  
And if we are lucky: gradually, gracefully, die.  
Though sudden death is possible and not necessarily any less natural than slowly dying.  
 
Is happiness more than just survival?  
Happiness can come from appreciating that survival is what we are meant to do.  
Even those that thrive are actually still always surviving, they just forget that they are.  
 
A rich man who is not hungry can just as easily die faster than the poor man who is starving.  

A flower meant to wither in Fall can just as easily be crushed in Spring.
 
The experience of survival is a subjectively sneaky state of mind.  
 
I've been happy eating out of a can….counting pennies for today's means.  
And I've been miserable eating from a full plate…with full pockets.  
 
Suppose the purpose of living is to:  
Enjoy  
Learn  
Serve for the betterment….  
 
It all sounds human enough.  
But all living things do this.  
 
I've seen bees enjoy flowers, learn from each other, serving the hive, the family, the planet.  
 
I've seen plants reach for the light, and propagate where they feel the most alive.  
 
(Isn't that what we always say we want? To feel ALIVE?)  
 
And...learning happens at the level of DNA. How egotistical humans are to assume it's something we can only do on purpose out of books, paper, words and gestures.  
 
Experience is existence.  
It's being Alive.  
 
And evolution is survival of the….willing.