What is the meaning of life?
From the earliest point in the
cognitive history of the human race, this question has stumped us all. In fact,
nowadays it’s become a bit of a joke (everyone knows the ultimate answer to
life is 42).
Personally, I think that when
we’re asking ourselves ‘what is the meaning of life’ we really should be asking,
‘what meaning can I get out of life’, and more importantly, ‘what do I want
most from life’.
Here I was, sunburnt to all hell,
sitting in a bar with a few mates and reflecting on a good day, when the
discussion took an interesting and insightful turn. It became a friendly debate
about purpose and what truly judges how successful a person’s life really is.
It was eventually decided that
there is a metaphorical spectrum in life that, due to the structure of our
society and our evolution as a species, is almost impossible to escape from.
Either you are at one end of the spectrum, or you are at the other. And,
ironically, middle ground is the ultimate goal.
At the furthest end of one side
of this metaphorical spectrum, we have the rich. These are people who perhaps
are excellent at their jobs, scraping in the big bucks, but absolutely despise
the industry they work in. They despise the job itself, they struggle to force
themselves to work each day, life seems pretty bleak. And so, despite having
the means to anything they want, even money turns sour and ultimately they find
themselves in a position of discontent.
At the polar opposite end, we
have those who are supposedly ‘living the dream’. That is, they’re making a
living out of doing something that they love and enjoy. However, their line of
work unfortunately doesn’t bring in enough cash and as a result they spend
their days in a constant pit of angst.
In our society, money is a means
to a life. And, as much as I’d love to throw myself to the ground in denial
(like many of you, I’m sure), unfortunately the reality is that very few are
capable of living comfortably without an income. Yes, you could disappear into
the wilderness, call yourself Tarzan and live the life of a hermit, but in all
honesty it would be a very lonely, difficult life. Trust me, a few episodes of Bear Grylls
couldn’t prepare you for that kind of reality.
So, while many of you are
probably set on the idea of doing what you love, ask yourself this: Is it worth
it if all other aspects of your life turn sour?
Or, is a job that ensures you and
your family live comfortably really worth it at the expense of your
happiness?
Where do you draw the line? How
to you achieve that middle ground between all elements of your life?
In essence, that was the
conversation. In our society it’s all too common to find people who are just
plodding through life. Day in, day out, they go to work, they go home, they
cook, they spend their weekends cleaning house; they’re in a constant state of monotony.
That, or we have the few people who have put their foot down, determined to
make something of what they love. Heroic, but unfortunately in most cases it
doesn’t work out as well as planned.
Whether it be music, writing,
dance, art, sport… the reality is that the competition to be the best in such
genres is extremely high. Not only that, but the audience demands a particular
standard and often a particular theme as well, which leaves the person broke
and despondent.
Well, first of all, life isn’t
black and white. Yes, you might hate one aspect of your job, but there could be
something about it that you do enjoy. Or, maybe you aren’t getting the kind of
money or recognition you’d like for your efforts in the genre that you love,
but perhaps simply performing for people brings you joy.
Secondly, in life you aren’t
singularly capable. That is, you can choose to do and enjoy a great many things.
Maybe by day, you slave at your job that you hate, but by night you could be
performing at the local pub or spending some time on that painting you’ve been
working on.
People don’t seem to understand
that yes, there IS time. Yes, I know, the housework needs to be done, but in
all honesty, does it really have to be done right this second? You have the
rest of your life to do housework! Throw some washing in the machine, take the
kids out and go to the beach. Or maybe give yourself some time. Read for a
while, get your tan on, go get a massage. If you find yourself in the cycle of
full time work, you need to break it up and you need to find some enjoyment.
And if you have a dream, you are capable of pursuing it while working to keep yourself
and your family afloat. The worst thing you could do is to tell yourself you
aren’t capable. Because otherwise, you’ll never find it within yourself to make
it happen.
You don’t need a great amount of
money to live. You just need enough. If you absolutely find yourself incapable
of lifting your life, of approaching your job with a good attitude, of finding
something or doing something to maintain your health of mind… you need to find
something else. And if you are struggling so hard to make a livelihood from
your earnings doing the thing you love and it’s slowly poisoning it, then you
need to reconsider. In life, the most important thing is your happiness.
Now, I realise that I’ve probably
gone on numerous tangents. What I’m really trying to say is this: That metaphorical
spectrum where ‘happiness’ supposedly can only be achieved by doing what you
love and earning a lot of money from it, doesn’t actually exist.
The fact is that all aspects of
life will have something attached to it that you won’t necessarily like. Even
doing something that you love and being rich isn’t going to be everything it’s
cracked up to be. What we have to do, as people, is to find our own middle ground,
in our own spectrum. Don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the deadly cycle
of full time work, don’t allow yourself to think that you don’t have time, that
you aren’t capable, because that attitude will ultimately spoil all aspects of
your life. And if you are truly struggling, don’t be stubborn. Don’t let money
be the reason for losing interest in something you love, and certainly don’t
let it spoil your passion.
The meaning of life is happiness.
There’s no trick way to achieve it and happiness doesn’t necessarily mean that
you have to have achieved all your dreams. It’s simply finding that balance in
your life where you, as a person, are content and moving forward.
