Life’s Greatest Wish: Good Health and the Company of Loved Ones

What should be life’s greatest desire? Wealth? Not at all. Health. There’s no greater fortune than to pass away while walking, working, or speaking—without pain, without suffering. Step into any hospital or clinic, and you’ll witness the true trials of life. People dressed well, once full of energy, now dependent on wheelchairs and stretchers, helpless and reliant on others. You’ll see them yearning just to breathe without discomfort, aching for a life free of pain. When someone can no longer carry the weight of their own body, the suffering is profound. To be alive yet stare blankly into others’ faces in helplessness—few things are more devastating.

And if we must save something in life, what should that be? Riches? Again, no. Save people—your loved ones, friends, and family. One day, you’ll depend on others, no matter how independent you are now. In your youth or your prime, never treat people in ways that might cause them to let go of your hand when you need them most. Preserve relationships. Build friendships with those who’ll check in on you during tough times and stand by your side in crisis. What use is a fortune with no one to share it with? Instead, invest in people—store up moments with those who matter. In life’s real tests, it’s people who’ll make the difference. Find those who’ll never let go, who’ll never bring you pain—fight to keep those hearts in your circle.

You don’t fully grasp how precious good health is until it’s gone. To understand life, sometimes you need to walk the hallways of a hospital. Stand by a patient’s bedside, look into their weary face, and suddenly this whole frantic world will seem meaningless. All this rushing, all this busyness—it starts to feel hollow. The regret of hurting someone, the guilt of deceiving—these emotions bubble up. Power, pride, status—they all vanish in an instant when your body fails. The one lying on the hospital bed, who has suffered in silence, knows well what’s right and what’s wrong in life.

Life’s greatest wish should be both physical and mental well-being. The highest virtue should be helping others. No matter how carefully you live, life doesn’t last forever. One day, we all must go—whether we’re in perfect health or bedridden for years. Death doesn’t wait, even if no one shows up to carry the coffin. What we leave behind—our character, our actions, our honesty—are what truly matter. The good we do for others lives on. But those who sell out their conscience and bow to power—they disappear into the void of time.

Let our prayers be for health—not only for ourselves, but for others too. There’s no dignity in a life lived entirely in dependency. There’s no joy in lingering on this Earth as a burden. Some die long before their final breath. And honestly, there’s less sorrow in the passing of someone who lived fully, independently, with grace. It’s far better to leave this world while still on your feet, speaking your truth. Life spent in helpless suffering doesn’t feel like life at all. There’s no glory in surviving just because someone else keeps you breathing.

So we pray: As long as this world keeps spinning, and we have time here, let us live fully. Not by someone’s mercy, not by anyone’s favour—may we stand by our own strength. Dear God, keep this one prayer close to You. And wrap me, too, in Your mercy.