Regardless of circumstance, background or context, we are all following the same path; a path that leads us towards daily meaning. Whether it be building a family or a career, or some other aspect that makes life seem worthwhile, we are all focused on it, we all want it and no matter what happens we cannot afford to lose sight of it.
So how do we find it?
There are all kinds of formulas in life that appear to guarantee meaning. They seem to have been built by people who have successfully trodden down these paths before. Sadly, cookie cutter solutions are rarely effective and a well-trodden path does not guarantee that you will arrive at the same place as those before you.
It is important to recognize that meaning is something extremely personal that may take a lifetime of struggle and growth to feel and achieve. However, as in all things, it is better to achieve honest results versus simplistic patches that just cover up the problems and make them difficult to see and solve. We have a tendency in life to look for the easy way out, the quick fix, the simple solution and no matter how many times we find it, it just doesn’t seem to cut it, so we keep searching, thinking that if we can just manage to find it this next time, then everything will be ok. But what really matters and what most people underestimate is the importance of the journey, the time that it takes to find the solution, the sense of meaning. Without it, the search and the goal, in themselves, lose their own inherent meaning and it all becomes pointless.
So what gives your life meaning?
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You’ve touched on one of my biggest pet peeves. The disposable society…
The replace rather than fix, the smooth over, the gloss.
Life’s meaning, in my humble opinion, IS all the hardships one encounters and the growth we experience from it. I sometimes wish there were events in my life that I could’ve side stepped. But that being the case, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Thanks for the post. As always, very thought provoking.
