Until you have met yourself head on, the good, the bad, and the ugly, you haven't experienced life.

For me, meditation has produced clarity, eliminated depression, overcome PTSD from childhood abuse and combat, and made the road of life much easier.  At 75 I don't much care how long I live, but I do care about the quality of life for the rest of the way, and meditation has provided that for me in spades.

Meditation also introduces you directly to god, your own concept of god (each person's concept of god is unique), in a way that no other avenue to the supreme being can provide.  So many times people think that "prayer" is a one-way communication.  Meditation opens up a two-way communication with the all that is - that entity of all enveloping love.