Two years ago I started wrestling with the idea of launching this website. I have repeatedly turned it over in my mind, regularly doubted my decision and yet still felt compelled to act on it.
What is the end goal? How about my plan to implement it? And why do I even bother doing this in the first place?
I spent the last couple of years thinking about those questions, the website and target audience, while trying to imagine how to advertise it.
Let’s be honest; I actually spent a fraction of that time thinking about the project while repeatedly convincing myself it wouldn’t work, before defaulting to spending the rest of it playing video games or attending my day job.
But the idea still haunted me.
Each day that I spent suffering, while contending with the human condition, reminded me it is the one relatable thing connecting each and every one of us. None are spared from the suffering of life.
People strive to appear fine, yet rarely admit how depressing their lives become. The days turn into keeping up appearances over a prolonged period of time. Meanwhile, we beat ourselves up over not having a life in order like others around us. We don’t realize many are in the same situation.
For all their confidence, laughs, achievements and possessions, you would be surprised to see them behind closed doors. They also cry themselves to sleep or stare at walls and ceilings, while contemplating the emptiness within their lives.
Until you connect with personal meaning, the days will endlessly repeat with perpetual disappointment, unnecessary suffering and pointlessness. Nihilism will knock on your door, sometimes forcefully and even break it down if you ignore it.
If we continue neglecting the pursuit of meaning, our character withers into a living death. Perhaps this sounds extreme for some, but if you’re keen on perception then you have already seen people in your daily life resembling zombies – and I’m not talking about fantasy or science fiction.
Every individual meets tragedy in one’s lifetime. Some hide it better than others. We either allow the amalgamation of suffering and meaninglessness to consume us down to a husk… or endure the onslaught because we have something to live for.
What am I getting at?
Meaning. We are all starving for it, whether we realize it or not. It’s what makes you feel alive and most optimally engaged with existence. It reduces your suffering or at least makes it easier to bear. It captivates you in ways that turn time invisible. It justifies your hardships and makes life worth living, today, next week, the following year and for the rest of time. It offers purpose.
Begin to live in pursuit of meaning. It will lend you strength and make your existence feel real. That alone is worth everything.
“Man cannot stand a meaningless life.”
– Carl Gustav Jung
The Point of Meaning 