A little kingdom I possess,
Where thoughts and feelings dwell;
And very hard the task I find
Of governing it well.
~ Louisa May Alcott

...that more or less describes my situation!

 
Does life have meaning? Does life need to have meaning? Can there be a standard definition or yardstick for life’s meaning? Can philosophers define a meaning that every individual could evaluate their lives by? And if our life did not conform to the definition, would our lives be meaningless? Would a meaningless life mean an unhappy life? But if a happy life could be meaningless too, would that life be worth it? But then, if a meaningful life were unhappy, would that be worth it either?

Most important of all, what IS meaning?

Maybe this is one of those questions that holds the key to life itself.

Why are we always in search of a larger design or grand plan to life and our place in the scheme of things? If we were told that there is no plan, no design, it is all pure chance, pure randomness, you come into this world someday, things happen to you at random, and then one day you die, and then you are no more —would we accept it gracefully? How utterly meaningless and pointless life would seem to be!

Contrast this with the other theory that all this is a part of a larger significant plan and everything works according to that plan. It is not randomness but a carefully laid out chess board as it were where every piece has its place and where there are rules to how you play. Religion is that rule for some, pure actions for others, moral codes for some others, and what have you. How heartening to believe that what you sow, you shall reap, how well you play, you will be rewarded; your entire life gains a perspective, a reference point, you see a goal before you, you see some ‘meaning’ before you, you may not be sure what it is but just the fact that it’s there somewhere, however elusive, hidden in the game, waiting to be found, makes you want to wake up another day, makes you want to ‘live’ …makes you want to give your best to the game while you’re at it… and win in the eyes of the one who matters…in the way it matters…

Some say life must be lived and not analyzed… but isn’t that saying one must live in darkness and never look for light?
posted by Sylvia D'souza at 10:32 pm 7 comments