meaning of life

I just read the book"daughter of the killing fields" by Theary C. Seng- a Cambodian woman who lost her mother and father during the Khmer Rouge.
I brought this at the Siem Reap Airport and didn't expect it to strike such a strong thought in my head.
In this book the author constantly uses this phrase " LIFE IS BUT A BREATH"
This makes me think is it really true in our modern society?
Yes it does apply to people during the Khmer Rouge when they are just simply drag out to be executed for no apparent reason. But does it apply to us, especially young Singaporeans like me?
Well I think that Life has to be more than just a breath.
Firstly we are here because of our parents, they are the one who created us. They gave us the blood that flows thru our veins and the senses to feel this magnificent world.
Do we just end it because "life is but a breath"?
It really disturbed me when I read about teenagers committing suicide, simply because of a failed relationship. Do they ever thought how will their parents feel? Some people in the World would try their best to hold on to their last breath in life and yet some chooses to end it just like this.
Life consists of so many factors. Inevitably, life consists of ups and downs. We just have to understand that one is successful because of its determination and ability to stand up again.
Also life consists of love and friendship. Yes, not everyone is fortunate to have the chance to encounter love and great friendship. Well we just have to learn how to look for it.
Fate may be predestined, but we're the one who control our daily life. So do you choose to live it to the fullest or just simple let it go to a waste?
Nothing in life is impossible.
I remembered there's this clause I saw in a basketball court of a Junior college: "THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IMPOSSIBLE AND THE POSSIBLE LIES ON THE DETERMINATION"
So if I'm determined not to make my "life is but a breath" , I'm going to make it more meaningful.
I will and must achieve my goal in life,academically as well as non-academically. Simply because my life is not just a breath..