A friend of mine responded to Episode 1 saying that the "meaning" of life is overrated because "[s]earching for such validation risks missing out on what's before your very eyes."
I agree to some extent actually. It's definitely possible that some people are so intent on finding the meaning of their life that they lose sight of some of the smaller things which can be equaly important. They put on blinders and don't look any other way but forward, so life passes by without them fully enjoying the ride.
On the other hand, I personally feel as if I'm able to appreciate the ride even though I'm trying to go in a certain direction. Let's take my weight loss goal for example. Earlier this year, my weight peaked at 119 pounds. I'm only 4'11", so I felt pretty...round. My coworker approached me about doing a Biggest Loser style competition and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Having others hold me accountable for working hard towards losing weight and reaching my target weight of 105 was a really motivating factor (ok, so was the money involved - biggest loser gets a money pot at the end of each month but that's besides the point). About 4 months later, I finally hit my target weight and am now working towards toning down and building muscle.
It wasn't easy losing all that weight. My lifestyle has changed but it's not like I've given up everything either. Although I did do some crash diets (Slimfast shakes, Master Cleanse detox) to kick start some of the weight loss, I still ate "bad" food every so often. I'm still a sucker for bread. Pizza still sounds good now and then too. The only difference is that I am actually conscious of the types of food I eat, and work out more when I do eat the bad foods (like the lobster pasta this weekend, pizza two days in a row after that and this yummy looking pastry sitting here waiting to be eaten). Or other times, I feel like it's okay to have soda and cake once in a while, as long as it's in moderation. A healthy balance is key - for everything.
In short, I think the determination to find the meaning of life and the ability to enjoy the ride that quest takes you on aren't mutually exclusive in every case so it's okay to take small detours along the way while you're searching for that "meaning". Life is definitely about enjoying the ride, but that doesn't mean that the destination can't also be something that you want to be meaningful.
People buy Toyotas to get from point A to point B. People buy Porsches to enjoy the drive. We only get so many days on the road, so it's important to make the most of each and every one. At the end of the line, our memories, experiences, and how we've touched the people that intersect our lives are the only things we have that are forever ours. I'm not saying that there aren't discrete moments where you sit back and find quantifiable and qualifiable ways to measure your life, because there are. But they only exist to enrich our experiences. When you neglect your experiences to further the measureables, that's when you've lost your way.
ReplyDeleteI guess it all depends on what you end up thinking your meaning in life is. I wouldn't enjoy the drive in a Toyota if my goal were to make a million dollars in 5 years or something like that. I'd probably be miserable if the meaning of my life was measured in dollars haha.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you found your meaning to be something closer to "I want to help children smile" but you just didn't know how to go about doing it? I think it would be worth my while to start working in a direction where I could do concrete things to really help. It's good to see any one child smile, but I feel as if it would be even better to start a charity or some other larger program that can help even more children at the same time.
At the end of my life, I wouldn't be disappointed if I only ended up helping a few kids smile, but I'd feel better about the fact that I worked hard to try to make as many kids smile as possible. I think that's closer to what I had in mind when I posted this blog. Trying to work towards something meaningful instead of not really knowing what I'm doing with my life. Everyday it's the same ol shit right now (sleep, eat, poo, work, pay bills) and it just doesn't seem like that's what life should be about.
At least, I don't think that's what I was born to do in this world :P