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Life’s sense

 

“Learn to live well, and you will know how to die well”, with these words Confucius gave us a clue about the meaning that life has. Dying is part of the process in an ephemeral world of continuous change, where the only thing that matters is how we have learned to live.

Finding meaning in our lives is something that sooner or later all of us end up passing through our minds. Many sages have tried to give an answer, and throughout history it has always been a recurring theme .

As human beings we have enough intelligence to ask ourselves certain questions about our existence . Constantly, and especially in difficult moments, we ask ourselves questions such as: what is the meaning of life? What is my purpose in life? What do I want to live for? These are truly profound questions that do not have a single answer, since for each person there are certain answers, which can change throughout their experience and experiences.

But objectively, in general terms, what are the things that can really give meaning to our lives? We know that our lives have meaning when we have goals, when we find satisfaction in small daily acts , and when we are happy enough with our lives to focus only on giving love, no matter what we are receiving … Many authors, philosophers, prophets and psychologists have tried to give answers to the meaning of life . Let’s see below some of the attitudes in which most of them coincide, which serve to find our way and give meaning to our existence.

Why do we need to find meaning in our lives?

Trying to give meaning to our lives is characteristic of human beings. We need to find a reason for our existence, to be able to understand it and understand it. Many times to have a reason to live for, to find a meaning that makes us want to move forward despite difficulties, despite injustices and misfortunes, despite disease and human miseries.

All of us undertake a different path from the moment we are born , and through our decisions we are altering that path that leads us to live multiple experiences of all kinds, unique, in which we learn to live with our emotions, feelings and vulnerabilities. Errors are one of the processes that is most difficult for us to accept and that, however, most helps us move forward.

Many times we live without more, we do not question where we are going and why, we simply put the automatic mode and we dedicate ourselves to following the current of the context in which we develop. There comes a time when sadness, loss and disappointment make us wonder how we are living – Is this the life I want to lead? Am I really happy with the life I have? It is through these situations, in which we experience pain and suffering, that we begin to try to give meaning to our lives …

We need those answers to help us know why we live, what we are in this world for, and what our purpose is. We need to assimilate these issues to make sense of what we do and to boost our motivation and willpower. When everything is meaningless, our lives are empty and without the strength to continue to maintain illusions and hopes. We find ourselves paralyzed, disoriented; being the spectators instead of the protagonists of our own life. At that exact point is when it becomes absolutely essential to give meaning to our path.

Reflections that help us to know the meaning of life

The meaning of life according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“Deep down, we all know that there is someone we are meant to be. And we can feel when we are becoming that someone. The reverse is also true: we know when something doesn’t fit and we are not the person we were meant to be.

Consciously or unconsciously, we all search for answers, trying to learn life’s lessons. We grope out of fear and guilt. We are looking for meaning, love and power. We try to understand fear, loss, time. We try to discover who we are and how we can really become. ”

“You will not have another life like this. You will never play this role again and experience this life as it has been given to you. You will never again experience the world as in this life, in this series of concrete circumstances, with these parents, children and relatives. You will never have the same friends again. You will never experience the earth again at this time in all its wonders. Don’t wait to take one last look at the ocean, the sky, the stars, or a loved one. Go see it now. ”

The meaning of life according to Erich Fromm

«He who has a lot is not rich, but he who gives a lot. However, the most important sphere of giving is not that of material things, but the domain of the specifically human. What does one person give to another? She gives of herself, of the most precious thing she has, of her own life. This does not mean that he sacrifices his life for the other, but that he gives what is alive in him: he gives from his joy, his interest, his understanding, his knowledge, his humor, his sadness… ».

The meaning of life for Krishnamurti

“Religions have tried to give us the meaning of life – that is, organized religions with their propaganda and rituals. But despite two or ten thousand years, man has merely affirmed certain principles, certain ideals, certain conclusions, all verbal, superficial, devoid of reality. So I think that it becomes very important to discover a meaning for ourselves, if we are at all serious – and one has to be serious, otherwise one does not truly live at all, which does not imply that one never laughs or smiles. – serious in the sense of a complete commitment to the whole question of living. Therefore, when we ask ourselves what is the meaning of life, we are faced with the fact that our brain is imprisoned in a routine, imprisoned in habit, in tradition,

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The meaning of life according to Viktor Frankl

For the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who was in the Nazi concentration camps and experienced the importance of giving a meaning to continue living, despite being under atrocious and inhuman circumstances. It was absolutely necessary not only to find his own meaning but to encourage others to find it. This is how he created logotherapy , a therapy based fundamentally on the basic pillar of finding a meaning by which to live. For Frankl, full life has to have a meaning, and this is one of the most important missions that human beings encounter.

For Viktor Frank, we have to take into account three major fundamental sources of meaning:

  • Loving caring for a loved one.
  • Cultivate strength and courage for when times are tough.
  • Work and dedicate our time to something that is really worth it.

Does life really have any meaning? . The answer lies in the sense that each one wants to offer to their existence. We can rely on the reflections that other people give, although it will be through our internal awakening that we manage to offer our own answers …

Attitudes and practical keys to find meaning in life

Many times we need a guide, an inspiration that makes us reflect and delve into our inner world. We find certain impulses with phrases of this type:

“Who has something to live for, is able to bear any how.” Friedrich Nietzsche

“Being what we are and becoming what we are capable of being is the only purpose of life.” Robert Louis Stevenson

“If man has not discovered anything to die for, he is not worth living.” Martin Luther King

What do we mean when we talk about attitude towards life? The inner attitude is one that is related to spirituality, therefore it has a greater meaning to explain our existence. It means to be beyond physical or material limitations, to give meaning despite the circumstances.

Some of the practical keys that we need to live a meaningful life are focused on the attitude towards life itself . It is necessary that you cultivate these attitudes that we are going to detail if what you want is to live fully.

Know your for what

Your what for makes even more sense than your why, for what helps you consider all the issues that lead you to do what you do. To delve into your actions and to know what the meaning of each one of them makes. Analyzing your why do you find your main motivations, the main basic questions of what you want, what you need and where you want to go with your actions.

Accept your emotions

The emotions you experience are part of you , they will guide you all your way, if you are attentive to them, when they occur and how they are generated, you will achieve self-knowledge that leads you to obtain greater wisdom. Which is ultimately the deep knowledge towards oneself. Don’t fight your emotions, ally yourself with them and learn to understand yourself.

Live with meaning

We give meaning to life when we answer each of the questions that it poses to us through experiences. Everything we go through has a meaning. Life presents us with continuous difficulties and challenges, each of us offers an answer to these vicissitudes. It does not matter what we expect from life, what matters is what we are willing to offer to life …

Offer your compassion and love

All of us have this intrinsic capacity to love and offer compassion . Although we have hidden this beautiful ability for many years due to fear, conflict, lack of empathy , pain and expectations. It is time for us to exercise it and make it strong. Above all, not waiting for others to offer us love and compassion so that we can give it back.. The greatest act of love and kindness is precisely offering the best of ourselves to those we consider to be unworthy of love and compassion. Through love we are planting the seeds that move and promote good actions of the people around us. Try to spread love, that is one of the senses that all existence can have. Offer your compassion to those who suffer, to those who do not see a way out of their lives, and to those who hide behind bad actions. This is true compassion that comes from love.

Ultimately, these are some of the most important attitudes to have a full life . Since we ourselves, through experience, are the architects of the meaning that we give to our path. These attitudes have to do with our responsibility and commitment to be the protagonists, and not the mere observers of our journey. It requires a lot of awareness, to learn from mistakes and to be open to new perspectives and points of view, to acquire these attitudes that give meaning to each of the experiences we go through.

 

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Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

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