The True Essence of a Meaningful Life

Mortality is one of the greatest truths of this universe. There is no escape from death. No one can dodge it. Every living being, after spending a particular time in this world, leaves it forever.

As humans, consciously or unconsciously, it is one of our greatest desires to be remembered here for a long time. We do several things for the reason to remain alive in this world spiritually if not physically.

I believe, the desire of being impactful in their surroundings and the lives of their fellow beings is innate to all human beings, whether or not we acknowledge it consciously. It is because of this reason that people find more lasting joy in giving sacrifices and philanthropic activities as compared to living solely for their selfish needs and self-centred goals.

It is this desire of being impactful in others life that has a lot to do with creating a meaningful purpose for our lives.

We may choose to live a “ME-Focused life" with sole purpose of nourishing “Myself" but if the nourishment of Myself is done at the expense of “We", no one is going to be benefitted in the long run.

A life focussed merely on the benefits of one own self is akin to the life of a parasite. In the beginning, the parasite is delighted by the growth and development it gets but eventually the destruction of its host leads to the extinction of the parasite itself.

On the other hand, people living their lives with *“We-focused" philosophy opt for the goals that are beneficial for the community. We might think that We-focused purpose means to destroy everything about “Me". However, it is not the case. The focus on the development of others does not mean to stuns one’s own growth. Instead, it means to grow collectively empowering each other, just like the relationship of mutualistic symbiosis.

In an exploration of the purpose of my life, I often contemplate how I may benefit humanity. At times, I felt desperate by the thoughts of not being able to give something beneficial to the world.

Nevertheless, I have realized that we need not become an influencer to make a difference. Being famous does not guarantee a meaningful purpose for an individual. We can live a purposeful life by being impactful in the limited space we are related to.

We can be a source of joy, motivation, strength and courage to our nearest people like parents, spouses, children, siblings, cousins, friends, colleagues etc. We never know how far the impact may go. An inspiration given to a colleague may become a source of positive effect on lives of several others. The instilling of positive traits like kindness, patience and honesty may become a source of betterment in various areas of other people's life. This way, the legacy goes without having a huge followers on social media.

Lately, I have understood another important reality. It is not always necessary to do something good for being beneficial to others. If we are not doing anything evil, we are still beneficial to others and leading a meaningful life.

Humans have a great tendency to harm others. If we are able to overcome the evil inside us, that’s a victory. By being not a source of obstacles, hindrance and bitterness in other people’s life we are doing a great service.

In conclusion, I believe purpose in our lives gives us the motivation to move forward. If we have “ME-Focused” purpose, it cannot bring lasting joy for us. However, a “WE-focused" purpose entailing the benefits of community has potential to bring lasting joy and prosperity for everyone, not in this world alone but also hereafter.

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This post is my participation for Hl-featured contest week 137 edition 1.

Image is created by me using Meta AI.