Do you think a short life can have a lot of meaning?

I was unable to view the site you listed, but absolutely a short life can have a lot of meaning! Look at Anne Frank, any of the Jerry Lewis MD kids, plus thousands of others worldwide. So many of these children show the rest of us the meaning of selflessness, charity and hope. Thay are a beacon to light the path for the rest of us.

Oh yes, it's not how long you live it's what you do with it. Certainly a long life doesn't mean it is a productive life.

I think any life, short or long can and should have meaning. We are all equal as humans. Happy New Year to you

I think live can be meaningful, whether someone has a long or a short life. It's more on the quality than on the length, and that's really more how we can say whether it was meaningful or not.

I have been trying to get on line with this link without any success. Will try again later. I believe that EVERY life has meaning. and even if someone does not live very long then that life still has meaning, For example, years ago, a friend of mine had had 6 miscarriages early in her pregnancies. Seh tried again and managed to carry the child to the seventh month. when her baby girl was born she only loved for three hours but my friend knew what it was to give birth to a live baby and hold that baby in her arms even for a short while. she never had another child. That baby's life was not without meaning - that baby brought joy and happiness even for a few hours before her soul returned to God. My friend eventually was able to thank God for giving her a gaughter to hold - even for a short length of time. New Year Blessings

I believe that how meaningful a life is does not depend on how long or short it is. Some may have lived very long but have not done anything great or anything that they wished during the living years. But some people although they have a short life, but they have achieved great things of what they wished during that short period and is satisfied with it. So, I would say that small life can teach huge lessons.

oh its true that its what you do with the time that you have. You can defintly believe that some people do more in alot less time. Its awesome that a small life can teach huge lessons. Great post and Happy New Years!

Just watched that video. How sad. But, he is in Heaven now and in no more pain. I cried and my daughter and daughter in law had to leave the room so they wouldn't cry. Such a sweet baby.

I have heard this story of little Eliot, and his 99 balloons. 99 balloons, each balloon representing a day Eliot was here on earth. While such suffering is heart wrenching and incomprehensible to most of us, I do believe it has a purpose. The knowledge of that purpose is well beyond me but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that as human beings, we are all interconnected and I also believe, that people come and go from our lives as we need them. The people in my life today are here for one of two reasons. They have something they are able to teach me that I need to learn or I have something they need to learn. In this lifetime I will never be able to fully grasp all of the intricacies and the "whys" of the suffering and pain in this world, but I firmly believe that there is a greater purpose. I believe that whatever little Eliot's purpose was here on earth, he fulfilled it in those 99 days. Perhaps, Eliott's purpose, was to show us how precious life is. Perhaps his purpose was to show us that life is finite and we should make a choice each day to make sure our loved ones know that we love them. Perhaps, his parents were chosen to be his parents because they had the character strengths and abilities to deal with such a heart wrenching situation. Perhaps their willingness to share their despair publicly, will allow us to learn from their grief instead of having to experience it ourselves, to know the true value of life. My response may surprise you, however, I would just like to add, that I know this to be true firsthand. I'm disabled and have Cerebral Palsy, and as such I had 10 surgeries before the age of 10. Although, I'm chronically disabled not terminal; I was in the hospital frequently enough to get to know the seriously ill children and their families. As I stated earlier, the knowledge of why such suffering occurs is well beyond me. I do know, that those who have undergone such difficult circumstances, are exceptional people and have exceptional qualities in their compassion and empathy for others. In your original posting you asked me if this family was blessed, I'm not sure, maybe they are, maybe they are not, but I am blessed because they had the courage to share their story publicly and remind me just how fragile and precious life really is. All the best to you in the new year.