What Does 'Every Life Has Meaning' Really Mean ?
I was walking out of a Walgreen's today when I saw three people standing by a bus stop. It was a man and a woman, about thirty, and an older woman , probably one of their mother. The younger woman was holding a baby, wrapped against the cool but not yet frigid December air. At the feet of the group were 3 or 4 bags of groceries, seemingly purchased at the grocery store a few doors down.
For some reason the movie "It's A wonderful Life" entered my mind, with it's theme of "everyone's life has meaning". And everyone makes some sort of "difference" to the larger world.
It's a nice sentiment, but of course it is a fairly tale.
I looked at these people, who by all visible evidence are probably doing the best they can. But they didn't have a car, or a stroller, and were taking the bus to go grocery shopping. We can assume neither of them has a good job. What is their "meaning" ? If they didn't exist the world would not be an iota different.
In "It's A Wonderful Life" George Bailey is an influential person in his community, he is a banker who helps people buy a home, he is an air raid warden during the war, everybody in town knows him and respects him.
In real life many people are losers, they don't get anywhere , have no money, no future.
Then I look at the guy waiting for the bus with his wife and baby and maybe mother in law, and realize that he is probably a good man. He's not a criminal, if he was he wouldn't be waiting at a bus stop with his family and groceries. He probably gets up and goes to work , and does the best he can , he just isn't "somebody", not even at the George Bailey level. Is he ?
Their skin complexion was somewhere between white, black, brown, yellow, and red.
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I would appreciate y'alls thoughts.
The thing with G Bailey?
He didn't understand that man is more than the sum of his parts. Man is part of everything around him even if he doesn't realize it.
I say why is it that people are looked upon through the basis of status, adjudged by appearance or possession?
That their worth to the world is the most important thing to decide. His contribution to others to be worth more than anything else.
Isn't a human valuable just because he is a human?.
He obviously is valuable to his family and they to him.
So I guess the most important thing to ask is why is it judged that his world must be bigger than he needs?
I ask this cause it is the question being asked when one questions such a scene. In the questioners judgment, the life he has voyered upon is less than what he thought should be the ideal life, so he questions the worth of such a life.
All of us has been in such a situation and espied such a vignette of life, I usually throw a salute to the people who broke into my conscious awareness and wish them a great life. But have you ever had occasion for one in such a focused vignette to look up right at you? Like they know you are seeing them?
I have.
It's one of the wonderful experiences of life, a way to connect with others that otherwise you would never know. I"ve yet to see a hostile face amongst those I have seen in this light. they are always content in their space.
That is the important lesson that life teaches in this manner.
That when left alone, Man is usually happiest in his own condition, whatever that may be.
It is after you have had several of these experiences when you begin to realize that most misery arrives from without.
And treat others in a manner to create the least amount of misery we can for everyone we come in contact with.
That is the message of George Bailey, as long as you treat others in the way they should be treated, you will never be alone. you will never be broke,
You will be the greatest man in your community, whatever that may be.
John,
You see their condition now. It could change in any direction rapidly. It could be that their lives will never have meaning, but their child will, and in that way, their life will have meaning.
Where there is life, there is hope.
I was listening to Frank Sinatra sing "I Did It My Way". Well so did I, but if I compare myself to Frank Sinatra then my life seems kind of insignificant. you know.
Some of the happiest people are dirt poor. They have family and friends. The meaning of life is fulfilled within the people they share their lives. It's kind of like we really don't need much when we have the love of our family and friends.
I would think it would be a mistake to judge the family on the street as to whether they had meaning in their lives. We may have an occasion to be in their company and find they have much more happiness than we could ever imagine, with the meager life it seems to others they live.
As far as putting meaning in our lives, I believe helping others can be the most rewarding thing a we can do. It may not provide wealth or even outward happiness, but a deep down satisfaction within us which is more fulfilling to the spirit and soul than anything else. If a we are searching for meaning in our lives this provides the greatest possibility of obtaining it.
Finding peace of mind within ourselves, not looking for happiness, but harmony in the world around us and expecting and accepting things are not always going to be as we would like them to be, but understanding and harmonizing with every situation we experience, we may find happiness, but we will definitely find meaning in our lives.
I will add to this something that I read a long time ago and you may recognize it. This is what got me banned from NV because I had posted it on several occasions over a two or three year period and Mr. T didn't like it and called it spamming. He couldn't get me any other way, so he just made up something and banned me. After all I watched many friends get banned long before he banned me. Thank you Mr. T.
HELP ME LIVE MY LIFE THIS WAY
Ideas from a real good book by OG Mandino “The Greatest Salesman In The World”
After a time, sometimes we, without realizing it, don’t put enough good thoughts into our heads, and thus allow bad thoughts to set up house. Here are some good things to make habits of.
When I feel bad, think only good thoughts.
I can only think one thing at a time. Why not make that thought one that enhances my life.
Anytime I have a bad thought, replace it with a good one.
Anytime I have bad feelings or thoughts, say to myself, "Cancel, cancel that thought!"
Abraham Lincoln said. "A person is just about as happy as he wants to be."
Never accept can't. Always realize can't never could.
Always realize, I am as everyone else. No one better than the other. No one worst.
Tell myself only the good things in life. Discard the things that don’t make something or someone better off.
Try, hard as it may be sometimes, to feel no hate for another. And someday it will not be hard anymore.
Greet each day with love in my heart.
Bite my tongue when I am tempted to criticize.
Admire each person, for each has qualities to be admired, even though they may be hidden.
Love thyself. Zealously inspect all things that enter my body and mind.
Persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. I will always take another step toward success.
I am nature’s greatest miracle. I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink into a grain of sand.
I will seek constantly to improve my manners and graces.
I will concentrate my energies at the moment at hand.
I am nature’s greatest miracle. I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life, for I perceive at last that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are in truth great opportunities in disguise. I will no longer be fooled by the garments they wear, for my eyes are open. I will look beyond the cloth and I will not be deceived.
With each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult.
I will live this day as if it is my last. I will not dwell on yesterday or tomorrow, only today.
Doubt I will bury with faith.
Today I will praise my loved one with sweet kisses. Tomorrow they will be gone and so will I.
I will live this day as if it were my last. And if it is not, I will fall to my knees and give thanks.
I will be master of my moods. My emotions will not be my master. For if my mood is not right I will be a failure. I will master my moods.
So that everyday is a happy day and a productive one, I will learn this secret of the ages. Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions. Strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts. Each day when I awake, I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity, and failure. If I feel depressed--I will sing. If I feel sad--I will laugh. If I feel ill--I will doubt my labor. If I feel fear--I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior--I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain--I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty--I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent—I will remember past success. If I feel insignificant--I will remember my goals. Today I will be master of my emotions.
I will understand the moods of others. I will make allowances for their anger and irritations of today for they know not the secret of controlling their minds.
My knowledge of this secret will be my key to a greater understanding of life. Today I will be master of my emotions. Henceforth, I will recognize and identify the mystery of our moods in all mankind and in me. I will master my moods with positive action. And when I master my moods, I will control my destiny.
I will laugh at the world. No living creature can laugh, except man. I will cultivate the habit of laughter.
I will laugh and my life will be lengthened. For this is the secret of long life and now it is mine.
I will laugh at myself for man is most comical when man takes himself too seriously. Never will I fall into this trap of the mind.
Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence? Why should I permit petty happenings of today disturb me.
Four words I will train myself to say until they become habits so strong that immediately they will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to depart from me. These words passed down from the Ancients will carry me through every adversity and maintain my life in balance. These four words are: THIS TOO SHALL PASS. I will laugh at the world. For all worldly things shall indeed pass. When I am heavy with heartache I shall console myself that this too shall pass. When I am puffed with success, I shall warn myself that this too shall pass. Yea verily, where is he who built the pyramid? Is he not buried within the stone? And will the pyramid one day not also be buried under sand? If all things shall pass, why should I be of concern for today? I will laugh at the world. I will paint this day with laughter. I will frame this night in song. Never will I labor to be happy. Rather I will remain too busy to be sad. I will enjoy today's happiness today. It is not grain to be stored in a box. It is not wine to be saved in a jar. It cannot be saved for tomorrow. It must be sown and reaped on the same day and this I will do, henceforth.
Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I have the power to choose my own destiny.
Let me act now, even though my actions may not bring happiness or success, for it is better to act and fail than not to act and flounder. Happiness and truth may not be the fruit plucked by my actions, yet without action, all fruit will die on the vine. I will act now!
Never will I pray for the material things of the world. Only the guidance will I pray.
Help me count my blessing of today.
Guide me and direct me in the right direction.
Give me patience with others and myself.
Help me to live this day as if it is to be my last.
Help me to remain humble.
Allow me the courage to laugh at my misgivings.
Silence me from gossip.
Guide me in my words that they may bear fruit.
Discipline me in the habit in trying and trying again.
Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown.
Grant me compassion for weakness in others.
Suffer me to know that all things shall pass.
Fill my cup with love to turn strangers into friends.
Guide me, help me and show me the way. Let me become all you planned for me when my seed was planted and selected to sprout in the vineyard of the world.
I don't know if that link is still good or not.