These posts discuss getting meaning from life.
There have been several ways of looking at the subject on the blog.
Here is another feeble attempt to practically describe how a person can get meaning from their life. Here it is by observation.
It is almost simple. If you want meaning, then you look underneath. By this, "underneath" means looking at things like our views and observations over time. Life should be about progress at some point.
This post examines the Meaning of Life from observation.Put another way, meaning in life can come from observing the gradual revelation of God's Word in your life.
Of course your view change over time.
Early life
The emphasis is usually on fitting in with groups, money and status
Later life
The emphasis starts to become about things like health, relationships and appreciation
Life has a way of slowly moving you toward the "later" stage, by your choice or not. Things get thrown at you. They might be things like the weather and elements, a job loss, a health problem or the death of a loved one. Sometimes these things are beyond your control.
As you age you should start to realize that for everything that has an upside, there is a down side somewhere. People just have different things on their plate. For example, if you have things in life, then someone will want to take it.
Take a simple example. Things that make you feel good at first often make you feel bad later. Conversely, hard work that is unpleasant (like cleaning) can bring positive, tangible results.
And celebrities give up privacy, have mud slung at them in the media and have increased motivation to compete against what they do. They are also expected to look their best or do their best all the time.
Later in life you should also start to realize that there is an importance to things like following the law and paying attention to your health. (Isn't that what religion taught you, if you practiced one?)
When you don't do these things, little problems start to accumulate that affect your life in negative ways. The limitations from these actions can slow down what you are trying to do.
Simple, yet important.
What else do you notice?
How about something like sports? Things like sports are there for more than winning and losing. Outside of this emphasis one could learn things useful to their lives. Things like teamwork, bouncing back from defeat, the importance of setting goals and giving your best and falling short.
And what about this? How many social ills come from desiring what other people have? The envy and the "keeping up with the Joneses" are superficial. (Don't the 10 Commandments help guide you in terms of coveting?)
When you take short cuts to "keep up with the Joneses", it can actually set you back in other ways. Spiritually life is about improving your old self, and not comparing yourself to others.
You might also learn things like keeping the peace can be more important than defending your position in a disagreement.
And, what else do you learn? Here is what the author has learned.
There are not easy solutions to human problems.If there were easy answers, they would have been done by now.
The Bible tells you this, also. Jesus came to earth to show God to people, and human problems did not end. Far from it.
(These posts have asserted the realization of how complex human problems are can lead a person to learn about God).
Thus, meaning in life comes from the realization you are growing on the inside. Maybe your bank account isn't growing, your status isn't growing or you aren't "keeping up with Joneses."
But what really matters? If you have your health and healthy relationships, you are on your way to learning. One thing you can accept is that people die. When they do their bank account does not go with them.
And, even the Christian Bible includes this concept, which is not surprising. In the Old Testament, the Jews thought they could earn their own salvation by following the letter of the law. However, when the Messiah came, he showed that salvation is about something deeper.
The spirit of the law is a development from the letter of the law. In Matthew 5 Jesus discusses how sin develops from something. For example, adultery begins with a lust, and then develops. Meaning comes from observation.
What you take with you from this life is what is on the inside. How you grew and developed in comparison to your old self.
What have you learned over the years?
