In Search of "Meaningful Life"

For most of us, being born, growing up into adolescents and subsequently adults, getting married, having children, growing old and eventually dying, constitutes the reality of our life. The cyclical roller coaster of life revolves around money, emotions, relationships, and many other reasons, create not only tales of our personal lives, but also stories in our dailies, history books, movies and so on.

Why don't we stop. .. take a few steps back, and look at this tapestry we call life. What are we really looking for? Our conscious rational mind may suggest numerous answers - some may be vague and uncertain - answers to simply feed our minds and comfort our souls. Others may be more concrete; For some of us, it may be precise while, for others it may run into a few pages of long complicated explanations. Careful observation of what we do everyday, and what is happening around us indeed suggests that we are all looking for a meaningful life, and thus happiness - This quest may be subjectively based on money, relationships, health, spirituality and many other needs.

In our search for this "meaningful life" we are often trapped into various forms of life's games of polarity - the "vicious" game of good and bad, hunter and hunted, the game of winner and loser, love and hatred, happiness and frustration, having and not having (and many other life contrasts ). These games were originally meant to propel us forward. Instead they have caused mental and emotional sufferings - simply because; we have been conditioned to think that winning these games is a mandatory precursor to 'happiness'.

In reality, polarity or duality of life creates totality - in other words, they are just a flip of the same coin. The existence of one, complements the other. Their existence in reality, is a result of mere concepts and labels - something that we create in the spectrum of our minds. Since we thought winning these games is imperative, we struggle as we navigate through life - we struggle in running away from the haunting "the other side of the coin".

But is this game what life is all about? Is this how life should really be? Should the foundation of a meaningful, joyous life be the result of these "vicious" games of contrasts? We were taught by our cultures, taboos, traditions (etc.) that winning these games is the only way to lend meaning to our lives; yet it has caused so much pain, suffering, stress, rejection, sadness and many other turmoil. Flip to any page of our daily newspapers for proof.

Let us once again stop and ask ourselves: is it possible for us to have a joyous life from these vicious games? Can our life be truly beautiful and happy, if it is built upon the basis proven to create so much pain and suffering?

The truth is, the game of contrasts is life's illusion. If our lives have caused us so much tears and pain, too much scars from torn and bleeding wounds, perhaps we need a totally new perspective to approach these games. It is without a doubt that for life to proceed these games need to be played; but until we realize that winning is not the price for happiness, we will not be able to appreciate and enjoy these games as we should, and thus lead truly happy lives that we all deserve.

(*Note: This article appears at http://www.thinkrepublik.com; a still in progress website, hopefully in can launch it in a couple of months.. )