There is a meaning to all of life.
This is what we want to think. This is something that has been debated for many centuries. Various people think differently on this subject matter. Some people do not believe in a God or any deity which has a plan for us. This results in an epicurean lifestyle.
Epicureanism is a school of thought which does not limit itself to ideas about an afterlife. They are concerned with fulfillment through sensual enjoyment. This is counter to many spiritual ideas that believe that abstinence from indulgence strengthens the spirit. These two contrasting philosophies illustrate two different ways of understanding meaning in life.
The Meaning of life is rooted in enjoyment
There is the idea that the meaning of life is rooted in enjoyment. This concept appeals to materialists, but it can also have spiritual connotations. We can understand that a creator deity created everything on this earth. Many people will feel that everything has been created for our own enjoyment. That we should partake in a lifestyle that enables us to enjoy all of these things as much as we can. That we can find a good job in order to earn enough money to afford the finer things in life. In some conceptions, this would detract from meaning in our lives.
Dreams are Hard to Fulfill
In our lives, we may have many dreams which take hard work to fulfill. There is nothing epicurean about sitting and working on something which is tedious. Not until you learn how to develop self-discipline and learn how to enjoy the work. Our dreams are one way of finding meaning in our lives. These things are often a way for us to enjoy our existence. This is an idea that is rooted in pride. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins. This is one idea which many people are not very thoughtful about. We know that pride can get in the way of being a spiritual person. When we refuse to humble ourselves and are unwilling to examine our own mistakes. This allows us to follow through with a negative course of action which may be counter to God’s purpose.
The desire for Unhealthy Things for Ourselves
In our lives, we may desire many things which are not good for us. There is a difference between our heartfelt will and desire. Desire is often rooted in sensual pleasure which can go against our very nature. We know that there is a price to pay for a reckless lifestyle. If we were to indulge in drinking every single day this would affect us in a detrimental way.
Alcoholism affects a lot of people in many ways. Many people enjoy drinking, but alcoholism is something that destroys our both health and finances. It can cause embarrassing situations based on the behaviors which occur when our inhibitions are reduced. These things are indicators that life needs more meaning for people. That mere enjoyment isn’t enough.
Your Spiritual Purpose
In our lives, we hope that we have a spiritual purpose. Some of us hope that we were destined for something bigger than ourselves. That there is a plan for us that we can discover if we can tune ourselves into our own spiritually. This is something we can discover through meditation.
Meditation teaches us to go inward and listen to our internal voice rather than the many voices which comprise the world around us. We often are pressured to fulfill the desires of other people. We may be pressured to be the ideal spouse or parent. Our parents may pressure us to take over the family business. This might not be what we want out of life. We might want something else out of our existence. There are many people who will interfere with our true will.
We need to be very strongly many times when we pick a life path. We need to realize that opposition is not a good reason to abandon our dreams. The opposition is often something that happens to the best ideas. We need to listen to our hearts when we make decisions. This is more intelligent than listening to the people around us. A very interesting approach to religion is the Gnostic philosophy. This philosophy encourages us to believe that God is within. That we can attain enlightenment through self-knowledge. This is a very good philosophy and many people could benefit from this idea. Through spiritual practice, we learn what we want out of life and pursue it with kindness and awareness.
