I’ve been thinking about the meaning of life a lot in recent days. I don’t know why but lately I can’t shake the thought that it’s all meaningless, our existence that is. We live and then die. There’s work, heartache and all those other things like love and happiness but it all ends with a box in the ground or ashes in a jar on the fireplace of someone else who will ultimately face the same end.
I know these are morbid thoughts but as they (whoever ‘they’ are) say, “misery loves company,” and these thoughts are indeed making me miserable. They’ve become leeches to my brain and I’m beginning to think to my soul as well, slowly sucking away my life, burying me alive.
I think it’s only fair to mention that I’m a Christian. We’re supposed to have the meaning of life all figured out but sometimes cookie-cut answers don’t solve the hunger of the soul to know.
I wish I had something profound to conclude with, a surprising twist in the story where I finally have all the answers. The heroine back from her journey ready to enrich the lives of others with all the knowledge she’s obtained. But I don’t.
The only conclusion I have is this: whether it’s pointless or not, life is a gift we’ve all been given. Don’t be afraid to enjoy it because in the end even if it is just the figment of some greater being’s imagination, right now it’s real. Right now you can feel and touch and you are free from the confines of a cedar box or ceramic vase. Free to live and breathe, free to laugh and love and free to make someone else’s breath meaningful if even just for a moment.
2 comments:
I loved your post. Your honesty is very touching and hits a chord with many. Sometimes I think that just by making myself answer the 'meaning of life' question shed light on the whole subject.
What I know for sure is that by interviewing over 100 people on this very topic helped me to understand more of our struggle with the "meaning" question. But on the flip side, I also learned that many people are already living in harmony with their own meaning of life...knowing full well that their answer may change tomorrow. And that's ok....
Thanks again for a wonderful post!
take care,
Louise Lewis, Author
No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You!
www.noexpertsneeded.com
Maybe it's because I'm not a Christian, but I don't worry too much about the meaning of life. I'm not sure there is one. But then, I don't think we need to know "the answer" to have a good life.
Not that I'd advocate living an unconsidered life. It helps to think about what you're doing and why, what you want to do with your life, and how you can contribute at least a bit to the greater good.
Although it might be nice to know how the story of your life ends, that's not how it works.
You're right: Life is a gift. Remember to enjoy it.
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