..the meaning of...by DJ Nicci C

We all have desires and we all have things we want and need, but are there any common features in these desires. Do we all share some innate desires and needs? Is there truly a recipe for happiness?

We all need food and water, a place to sleep, a place to rest and a place to wash up. Some of us need these more often than others, but we do all need them. But if that was all life had to offer, well we’d just be like animals, and there would be no meaning to life. So here is the question: what makes life have meaning?

Almost all of us have a job, so can that do it? Let’s explore that. I personally have 3 jobs, I manage property, I host a radio show and I am a freelance writer, I get paid for only one of them. But all three are rewarding and I draw satisfaction from doing all three. Also, because I help others and teach many of the lessons I’ve learned during my life to the people I encounter each day, I draw meaning and value from the experience. So, work can be a great source of meaning in life, but I also know many people who only work for money.

Most of us have somebody we love. Our families, our friends, and your kids. Could those hold meaning in life? Let’s once again use my life as an example. I have friends, many very close to me, I have helped them and they have helped me. Together we have made our lives better, and also made the world around us better. I have personally saved the lives of a few people, and they still thank me for it to this day.

I do not have kids, but I would love to have some - maybe two or three. I know that I would be happy to know that part of me will always be in them. I have a brother and 3 sisters, and as much as I hate to see them make bad decisions in life, I am happy to try and help them out when they do. However, I have to remember that some people are alone. They have no friends, no family and nobody around them to love. Mind you, there are many less than those in my previous reason, so we might be getting closer to an answer.

So what’s left, what else can give us meaning in life? Well, what about this? We all do something to tell others what we think and feel. Can it truly be said that we can get meaning in life from living it? I just suggested it, so let’s determine if I am just simply nuts.

We can safely say that to make friends or have a job, we need to communicate. We can even say that to get food, water and a place to live we need to communicate. We all spend hours reading, talking or acquiring information from some form of media. But we as a species are about the only ones who do this as an ends rather then a means to one.

Yeah, I just said it. The root of all meaning in life may be as simple as letting each other know we are alive and differnt, but also quite similar - a bizarre idea, but if you’ve read up until now, take a few seconds to realize what you just did and why.