Big Words

Summary

The article discusses the philosophical question of life's meaning, emphasizing that life's purpose is to find one's unique path and contribute back to the world.

Abstract

The author reflects on the concept of life's meaning in response to a writing challenge, initially exploring the theme through poetry. The central thesis posits that life's meaning is synonymous with finding one's purpose, which is a personal journey that varies for each individual. The author suggests that life is akin to a black box with inputs such as resources and love, and outputs in the form of contributions to society. These contributions are the expressions of our unique beliefs, values, and learnings. The article concludes with the idea that giving back to the universe is a way of balancing the energy we have received, a concept metaphorically likened to the equation LHS = RHS by the author's niece.

Opinions

The author initially finds the question of life's meaning daunting but later embraces the exploration of purpose.
Purpose is described as something that can be both overwhelming and rewarding to pursue.
The author uses engineering analogies to describe life, comparing individuals to black boxes with unique processing capabilities.
There is an emphasis on the importance of giving back to the world, suggesting that this is how we maintain balance for the resources we consume.
The article suggests that the output of our lives, whether through writing, teaching, or other forms of contribution, is a reflection of our unique experiences and insights.
The author tags several other writers to contribute their thoughts on the meaning of life, indicating a collaborative and open-ended approach to the topic.

Big Words

ILLUMINATION Writing challenge: Meaning of Life

This is in response to a writing prompt by Timothy Key and B. A. Cumberlidge., tagged to me by Joe Luca : What is the meaning of life?

I was asked about life’s meaning a prospect that found me yearning for something that I could be leaning on; something to silence my keening heart; comforts that I should be weaning off; taking risks to find my purpose

Yes, that’s what it is then, Purpose! Some time ago the word made me nervous, Imply as it does, something portentous Perhaps amorphous, never quite pompous, But always momentous, sometimes stupendous

When I think of this word, Purpose I confess the task does seem enormous Heart may get dinged — hazardous! And if I don’t find it? the prospect’s horrendous The chorus in my head grows raucous

But then I calm myself down, my mind’s dexterous While the journey to purpose can be tremendous The reward by itself, I admit, is undoubtedly gorgeous.

I realize I didn’t quite answer the question above, as I was having fun playing around with form and rhyme. I must admit that the question also scared me a bit.

So, I’ll answer it here. From my POV: Life’s meaning is to find purpose. And life’s purpose is to give back.

From birth, each of us is a black box, with inputs comprising of all the food, water, sunshine, love and resources we consume. In fact, we get so taken with the act of consumption that we forget that black boxes must output too.

Each individual has a unique experience, because the combinations of our inputs are unique, and our processors are unique too. This uniqueness expresses itself in our beliefs, values and learnings.

And this is what we need to give back to the world, in whatever form we choose, to complete the loop. Some may choose to leave their learnings behind to their children, others may choose to write, still others may choose public speaking or teaching or volunteering.

Regardless, we owe the universe to give back whatever we can, whatever we have of value, as a token of gratitude for the energy we have received.

As my niece aptly put it, LHS = RHS.

Forgive my choice of using engineering language in the above — I find it to have many useful analogues to life.

POV = point of view | Processor = brain / mind / analytical capability | LHS = left hand side; RHS = right hand side

Joe’s article is here:

Tagging “The Crew” for their thoughts:

Big Words

What is my true meaning of life?

As I see it.