Meaning of life
Posted by itheabsolute on September 20, 2005
There is no point being a rich man in cemetery. Nor is there any good having been a CEO of a company. Posterity does not remember all these. All efforts to live beyond the grave through reproduction also do not give much relief.
I read somewhere, and for some reason I tend to believe, that a few days before death an individual comes to know of the imminence of his tryst with death. Waiting for this rendezvous, what would an individual think? Would he think of the money he made or fame he achieved? I believe that he will think more of ‘did I live happily’, ‘was I good to people as much as to myself’, ‘was I good to myself at least’, etc type of questions. I think he would think of the lies he told, the tricks he played to make money or deceive someone. He would think of those times which he spent in office which he knew he should have spent with his dear ones. He would think of his own people and see if their faces really reflect sadness at the impending event. As people lay in the death bed, material things hardly matter. But good amount of our life is spent chasing material things.
Let the world change you…and you can change the world.
The punch-line of the movie the types of which I haven’t seen one in many years now – “The motorcycle diaries”.
This movie shook me out of my slumbers. Who cares if I became a CEO? Who cares if I make money? Would I care these things myself? I do not know. I want to pursue happiness as the sole object of life. But what will give me happiness? I guess I know a bit of it, but surely cannot claim that I have an affirmative answer.
The protagonists of this movie take a 12500 KM journey through the roads and rivers of South America traversing many countries and cultures, during which journey their lives get transformed and they transform the lives of some. The movie is based on a true life story. A brilliant one.
Get the DVD, shut yourself in the corner of the room, tell people not to disturb you, no popcorn. Watch the movie, preferably alone. Do nothing after the movie. Do not even get up from there. Sit about. Think about life. Life will mean something else. Surely not what we are, at least what I am, doing.
I, The Absolute 
Abhi said
I too have given some thought to the meaning of life and to the iternal question of what is my ultimate goal? Say you are God or some supernatural person who can see things in 200 year timeframe and in many galaxies, what would you say about what is the meaning of my life. I think you’d say, it is inconsequential. And if you could look with a 1000 year timeframe, you would say regardless of what I did for me, my family, my country & mankind, it is still inconsequential. As inconsequential a life as a life of an ant or some insect. So now that my life means nothing to anyone, should it also not mean anything to me? I think the answer lies in what you do with your life and whether it makes you happy. If it makes you happy, it meant something. If it didnt, it wasnt worth it. As simple as that.
What should make you happy? Some yogis and sants will make your believe that only altruistic mindset can make you happy ultimately. I believe that there is no one answer to this. If your selfishness makes you happy, be one. If being sadist is how you choose to please yourself, by all means, be one. If hoarding money and counting it makes you happy, swiss banks are for you, use them.
Same way, if some social work makes you happy , do some. If teaching makes you happy , teach and be happy.
In sum, my life is an event which is unique in this universe. IT did not have, and will have not have a parallel ever and at the same time will not have any meaning or consequence for me ever. My identity will be lost forever once I die. All that I can do is enjoy this life. There is no phenomenon such as before and after life.
r r said
‘Meaning of life?’. It is as good as asking what is the purpose of the existence of the Universe? I feel we have been “programmed” to do things, at a concious level like observe, imagine, experiment, make the imagination into reality and experience. Say you dream of becoming a millionaire. Say after you become one you wont stop there? Will you under ideal circumstances ? You imagine something else like being a multi-millionaire. We have an adaptive nature so we get to a neutral state sooner or later and start imagining and thinking something else. So if you know you are going to die in a few days you will still have some dreams as well as have a retrospection. We are too feeble to get the answer to the question “Why are we programmed then?”. May be some day when we can know the what is beyond the universe we will understand the meaning of life.
itheabsolute said
hi all
thanks for sharing your thoughts.
learning can come in many forms. comments at my blog have became a source of learning for me. thanks.
cheers
Metal said
I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a long time. Now that you given me a gist of it, I’m even more interested.
Keep sharing your thoughts.
Ansh said
An insight into shades of life can be found in ‘Zen & the Art of motorcycle maintenance’ by Robert Prisig …can be considered a must read if interested in soul searching … I have read that book 3 times and i can vouch that it sheds a different shade for every person that reads it ..:)).
Will be great to see ISBians finding time for that kinda stuff.
wits said
A wise thought after all. I strongly believe that you don’t have so much time to think all about this before death. Only a few has a chance to think about his/her life before dying. Death comes like an accident in most of the occasions. Again life always boils down to one self. None comes into picture. No parents, no kith and kin, or spouse. Everyone in this world is alone lives alone and goes alone. All others come and go.
And the funniest part of life is if we stop fighting for survival you are a dead meat. There starts your downfall. I suppose that’s the reason why you are in ISB. Get going friend.
ankur said
“What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.”
Brilliant movie chosen to contemplate on what it is to spell L-I-F-E
-V said
Yes life is about finding happiness, searching for that elusive happiness which would be there for ever.Everything that we chase in this material world is transitory..
Playing brings hapiness to a kid, girls bring pleasure to a teenager, material wealth bring pleasure to a householder….all such acts leave only worries when one is old. It’s funny that the things which brought happiness to a person at one point in time hardly matter at another time.
The gist is one has to spend quality time in search of everlasting bliss.