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The Meaning Of It All




"This is it.

There are no hidden meanings.

All of that mystical stuff is just what's so.

Not so obviously, it's also...so what.

A Master is someone who found out."


Werner Erhard



You can spend your entire life searching for the meaning of Life, and never find it. As an example; from a young age we are told that the 'meaning' of life is to go to school, get a proper job, get married, have kids, blah, blah, blah...and then 'retire' (whatever that means). As we get older, and a little wiser, we begin to realize that none of that stuff actually makes us very happy. In fact, in many cases, it leads people to realize that none of it actually matters very much at all, and that the more they 'do' in order to be fulfilled, the less joy they feel. This can then lead to a 'spiritual' crisis in which we begin to look deeper than fulfilling our superficial desires, and instead turn within for the answers we can no longer find 'out there' in the world. This can lead us to begin meditating, reading uplifting books or going on retreats to relieve our anxiety, and hopefully find some deeper meaning to our life. Yet even then, there are no guarantees. There are a lot of so-called 'spiritual' people who are just as neurotic and unhappy as everyone else.

So what if the truth is simply this: There is no grand meaning to life?

Or, from another slightly different perspective: Life has the meaning that you give it.

What if life is like a giant white board, and you can take your sharpie pen and draw whatever you wish on the empty space? What if it's up to you to fill your days on this spinning blue orb with whatever it is that you wish to do, or not do? For me, meditating everyday and feeling a sense of inner-freedom while enjoying every moment that presents itself is a pretty satisfying way to live. And while that may well be MY meaning for life, for you it could be to travel the world like Anthony Bourdain; enjoy exotic cuisine and make as many friends as possible. For another it could be to do paintings of the ocean while sitting on a beach in Mexico, and for another to become a plumber and fix drains, while enjoying weekends boating on a lake and soaking up the sun. Our experience of Life; be it pain and suffering or joy and delight, is in our hands. The truth is, it takes a lot of courage to really look at the simple fact that Life has the meaning you give it, because that means you are totally responsible for your experience.

The point here is this; there is no point, and until we wake up to this one simple truth, we will continue to be disappointed in life for not giving us what we think we need to be fulfilled. If you want fulfillment then first BE fulfilled right where you are, exactly as you are. If you want satisfaction, then first BE completely satisfied within yourself, just as you are. If you still find your life is completely unbearable, then change the channel, shake up your life and do something different (just don't expect it to fulfill you). What is 'living life to the full' anyway? It's whatever turns you on; be it jumping out of airplanes, saving the rainforests, drinking a good margarita or sitting quietly and enjoying your breath. True spirituality is paying attention and appreciating EVERYTHING, not just the things the mind tells us are spiritual. When we do this, we come to see clearly that the meaning of Life is quite simple - it's whatever meaning you are giving it, Here and Now. So enjoy the party.

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