“Either life is meaningful or it’s meaningless.” (Viktor Frankl)
Less can sometimes mean more.
A meaningful life does not depend on its duration.
Meaning is about value and significance: It refers to the subjective and objective value ascribed to experiences, relationships, and actions.
Purpose is about action and direction: It is the overarching aim that guides choices and gives a sense of direction and intention.
The length of time in life can impact the opportunities to pursue goals and develop meaningful connections. However:
* A long life without purpose and meaning can feel empty and unfulfilling. As Abraham Lincoln is believed to have said, "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."
* A shorter life, lived with intention and meaningful pursuits, can be deeply fulfilling. Existentialist philosophers emphasize that humans are responsible for creating their own meaning and purpose through their choices, regardless of how long they live. As Viktor Frankl argued, meaning can be found even in the most challenging circumstances.
My brother died in his early 50s from cancer that quickly overwhelmed his body. Had he just died the day after he found out about his cancer his life would have amounted to little.
Sad to say but my brother wasn’t a man to be admired for much—just potential he had wasted.
But when he found out he was going to die, he suddenly took action; not out of fear of death, but maybe to put some meaning into what remained of his life.
My brother lived about 3 months (he and I spend many days together—me driving him to doctor appointments and chemo or whatever). He found dignity in knowing that the end was near. It became important to live well (he got a brand new apartment and hired a professional decorator). He spent time with his two young adult children.
When he eventually entered hospice care he quickly became a living corpse. Because his death was during the early months of COVID fear kept our parents away (they said their final words to his lifeless body on FaceTime as did many). I saw him that final morning and encouraged our other brother to get his children there that day. My niece and nephew arrived later that afternoon, only minutes before he quietly died. He was 53 years old and lived his best days those final three months. Finally, he lived well: with courage and honesty and grace.
Society seems to gradually be organizing itself to constrain independent and nonconformist dreamers and builders... slowly enough that we barely notice the changes. It's still possible to operate on the margins, doing your own thing (I've done it for years) but you'll risk obscurity and poverty - and those things usually entail some degree of romantic failure.
Things will (might) change when people realize that the promises of ambition and conformity don't justify a life lived inside others' boundaries. People these days are just exceedingly fearful of risk and of discomfort. That's a difficult attribute to eliminate, but it can be reduced. Reducing it should be the goal of every pro-freedom and pro-diversity person in our society. Comfort and herdlike dependence simply CAN'T generate maximal fulfillment, at least for many people. I truly believe that.
I started college, dropped out, went back after several years and completed my degree in Computer Science. For the longest time, I didn't make any "real money" as a programmer. Then I started to make decent salaries, but didn't stay long at companies either because they downsized or we couldn't work together. Now I can't find work and I'm going to lose everything I own; I can't even afford rent right now.
That is the beauty of life. I decided what I wanted to do as a career at a young age, but knowledge and circumstance changed my mind. It is okay to change your mind about what you want to be when you grow up because you are ever changing as a person. New experiences and insight will change your outlook and desires.
“Either life is meaningful or it’s meaningless.” (Viktor Frankl)
Less can sometimes mean more.
A meaningful life does not depend on its duration.
Meaning is about value and significance: It refers to the subjective and objective value ascribed to experiences, relationships, and actions.
Purpose is about action and direction: It is the overarching aim that guides choices and gives a sense of direction and intention.
The length of time in life can impact the opportunities to pursue goals and develop meaningful connections. However:
* A long life without purpose and meaning can feel empty and unfulfilling. As Abraham Lincoln is believed to have said, "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."
* A shorter life, lived with intention and meaningful pursuits, can be deeply fulfilling. Existentialist philosophers emphasize that humans are responsible for creating their own meaning and purpose through their choices, regardless of how long they live. As Viktor Frankl argued, meaning can be found even in the most challenging circumstances.
My brother died in his early 50s from cancer that quickly overwhelmed his body. Had he just died the day after he found out about his cancer his life would have amounted to little.
Sad to say but my brother wasn’t a man to be admired for much—just potential he had wasted.
But when he found out he was going to die, he suddenly took action; not out of fear of death, but maybe to put some meaning into what remained of his life.
My brother lived about 3 months (he and I spend many days together—me driving him to doctor appointments and chemo or whatever). He found dignity in knowing that the end was near. It became important to live well (he got a brand new apartment and hired a professional decorator). He spent time with his two young adult children.
When he eventually entered hospice care he quickly became a living corpse. Because his death was during the early months of COVID fear kept our parents away (they said their final words to his lifeless body on FaceTime as did many). I saw him that final morning and encouraged our other brother to get his children there that day. My niece and nephew arrived later that afternoon, only minutes before he quietly died. He was 53 years old and lived his best days those final three months. Finally, he lived well: with courage and honesty and grace.
Society seems to gradually be organizing itself to constrain independent and nonconformist dreamers and builders... slowly enough that we barely notice the changes. It's still possible to operate on the margins, doing your own thing (I've done it for years) but you'll risk obscurity and poverty - and those things usually entail some degree of romantic failure.
Things will (might) change when people realize that the promises of ambition and conformity don't justify a life lived inside others' boundaries. People these days are just exceedingly fearful of risk and of discomfort. That's a difficult attribute to eliminate, but it can be reduced. Reducing it should be the goal of every pro-freedom and pro-diversity person in our society. Comfort and herdlike dependence simply CAN'T generate maximal fulfillment, at least for many people. I truly believe that.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/risk-taking-and-conformity
I started college, dropped out, went back after several years and completed my degree in Computer Science. For the longest time, I didn't make any "real money" as a programmer. Then I started to make decent salaries, but didn't stay long at companies either because they downsized or we couldn't work together. Now I can't find work and I'm going to lose everything I own; I can't even afford rent right now.
If you can help, I'd be eternally grateful.
https://www.givesendgo.com/tomasgalluccithewriter
https://buymeacoffee.com/professortom/forward-progress
That is the beauty of life. I decided what I wanted to do as a career at a young age, but knowledge and circumstance changed my mind. It is okay to change your mind about what you want to be when you grow up because you are ever changing as a person. New experiences and insight will change your outlook and desires.