What’s the meaning of life?
What’s my purpose in life?
Two questions tremendously discussed over time. One being generic, one essentially personal.
The first question was often tried to be answered by religions and all kinds of other institutions, whether spiritual or not. Most of these proposed answers could be categorised in variations of ‘Lead a good, virtuous life so you will transcend to a better life’. ‘Virtuous’ then referred to some set of doctrines, guidelines, rules or whatever; while ‘better life’ more often applied to a reward received in the after-life in an unknown sort of walhalla or place of endless happiness.
Then we shifted from caring to sharing
This existential issue has been discussed by the oldest of civilisations and was seen as the most important of all to explore.
However, gradually people’s interest shifted towards a more self-centred interest. We relieved ourself from the burden of debating the overall purpose of humankind, rather focusing on our own meaning of life. Our self-centred lives and intrinsic pursuit.
We re-directed from trying to fit in within ‘the greater good’, to achieving personal elevation by trying to reach self-constrained happiness. And while we first struggled in answering what exactly would lead to finding this individual success and joy in life, self-achievement, we now read about how some are no longer haunted by finding the general meaning of life or even finding their life-purpose. There’s a generation caught in distracting themselves from finding what leads to personal happiness, because they’re in a way accustomed to measuring themselves up to other people’s goals and standards.
The Internet, and especially social networks, created a pool for sharing experiences and discussing life-moments to and with others. But to those who have not yet found (or even searched) for what is their individual source for experiencing some sentiment of life fulfilment, this continuous exposure to other’s personal achievements might (and apparently does) distract them from looking for it and instead they start evaluating their own value of life to other people’s standards.
In my opinion, some of these networks established to share, co-create, and expand people's knowledge, have sadly become the very source of why the variety of content found on these platforms is narrowing down.
I’m happy there are other online communities such as Steemit, Ello, and many many more who not limit, but rather expand, its members' knowledge and point of view. It are of course the members and their interactions who build communities , therefore and I'm happy to be part of this one.
This is a really thought provoking post that makes you take time out of your day to ponder. Those two questions as stated above are definitely ones that humans have been trying to answer for ages now, and ones that might never be answered, aside from speculation. What do you think the meaning of life is?
Followed!
Personally, I like to answer the question by considering the possibility of 'the meaning of life' being to give life meaning... That way all of us are still free in filling in how to establish that, yet it has a certain 'good-ish' ring to it, so all individual pursuits could lead up to a common end of leaving this earth in a better state than we found it. But again, personal goals can, and should, be as varied as there are people. And being fickle in nature, you never know how 'giving life meaning' is perceived by others of course. :)
Thank you for your comment! Appreciate it really.
Reaaly amazing