The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
Pablo Picasso
So, I came across this quote recently. And it made me stop and think a bit. So, obviously, I had to share it with you guys. 😄
[ Note that even though I’m attributing it to Pablo Picasso, there seems to be some doubt about the accuracy of that. People much smarter than me have tried to find the true source of the quote, but it’s still not exactly clear. So, for now, I’m just going to trust the good people at goodreads.com who ascribe it to Picasso, and run with it. ]
The first thing it made me realize was that I didn’t have a clear enough picture of the difference between “meaning of life” and “purpose of life”. I knew they were not the same, but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. Kind of looking at something through a misty haze – you feel there’s something there, but don’t know what precisely.
Before I go into a long-winded exposition on the difference between these: What do you think? Do you know exactly what these two things mean to you? What are some of the things that give meaning and purpose to your life?
So, today’s post is based on an interesting observation a dear friend made sometime back. Before we get to that though, let’s start with some background.
For the curious mind, there are just too many questions out there. When did something happen, who did what, what was the reason for something, how things work, where things come from and go, etc.
There can be no end to questions, I think. The more we know, the more there is to know further. Look at science. There was a time when the atom was the smallest thing. One would’ve assumed that knowing that would be the end. But, no. Because even with that knowledge, we didn’t stop questioning. We wondered about what the atom itself was made of, how it worked, etc. Because of these questions, now we know that even the atom’s not the smallest thing (they are made of quarks, if you were wondering). And now, scientists are delving even further into these building blocks (the quarks).
And it applies to almost everything, not just science. Look at history, economics, human behavior, etc. Whenever we think we have nailed down something as an underlying fact, if we continue to ask more questions after that point, we can always find another level of detail.
The point is that questions are never-ending. There are always more questions we can ask, and when we do, we always get more answers. It may take time, but eventually, we get there.
But, even though questions are inexhaustible, fundamentally, they all belong to one of these types: who, what, when, where, how, and why.
And this is the interesting observation that my friend made: these questions are not all equal. We can have an infinite number of questions, and we can funnel them into these six types, and although all of them have their own value, there’s one type that is most important, and also the most difficult one to answer. And that is the class of questions asking, “Why?”
It may not seem that big of a deal initially, but when I thought about it more, I realised how much more significant this question is, compared to the others, and how much impact it has in our lives.
The other questions are definitely important. But they are more… how should I put it.. “superficial” in a way. They are based on facts. If we have full knowledge of all the variables in the system, we can answer them.
But “Why?” That is another beast. It pushes us to explore outside the boundaries. It goes deeper, and wider, and surrounds us, and subsumes us.
As before, it’s not restricted to one domain. Any domain you look at, “Why?” is perhaps the most important question. Science, history, law, human behavior. Especially, human behavior. It’s even become somewhat of a corporate mantra these days, as popularized by Simon Sinek.
Compared to all the other “materialistic” questions, “Why?” is the “philosophical” one. It leads us to think about and discover new questions we didn’t even know we wanted to ask.
But, it’s not for the faint of heart. When asked openly and courageously, it can show us a brutal reality we may not be ready to face. It can also lead to desperation, a feeling of helplessness in not knowing the answer.
Or it can open our eyes, expand our horizons. It can take our awareness to another level in the journey of discovery. It’s more insightful than anything we know of. As someone who likes to think about these things, I was really taken in by how much more significant and profound “Why?” is compared to the other questions. It’s head and shoulders above the rest.
* * *
Once we realize the power of “Why?”, and can inculcate the habit of going back to it in our daily lives on a regular basis, it can be an eye-opener, and a guide for life. Here’s a simple exercise: think of any three things that are happening in your life right now. Something that you are working on, something someone said, something that happened at work. Anything. Even if not three, think of at least one such thing. And then ask “Why?”
I last posted on this blog at the end of last year. I was hopeful for the year that was about to come. But, as life can do from time to time, it surprised me.
Though there have been some good moments this year, there have been some bad ones too. But more than anything, it’s the big cloud that we are all living under that has cast a shadow over everything.
I’d been wanting to write at least something for some time now. And it’s not like I don’t have things to talk about. But life has been surprisingly busy this year. Or maybe I’ve become lazier. Whatever be the reason, the point is, there wasn’t enough motivation. But today, I’m taking a bath (cue the motivation-is-like-a-bath quote).
But I can’t write about the usual stuff I post here, not yet. Talking about anything else feels like ignoring the elephant in the room. I’m, of course, referring to the crisis that the world is facing today in the form of COVID-19.
So, today, let’s talk about that only. Read More »
So, recently, I had another one of those moments of insight into my thinking and experiencing process. And I thought it might resonate with you too.
A few days ago, a friend and I were discussing something at work. Now both of us consider ourselves fairly open to looking at things from different perspectives, not being bound by our own experiences and first impressions.
For example: I may not get along well with a person X, but if some other person told me that X was a nice person, I wouldn’t not believe them. I’d chalk up my own bad experience with X to circumstances, or just misunderstanding, or maybe just that we don’t get along well together, even though we may both be decent people individually. There are so many possibilities, and plus, if the other person considered X a nice person, she must also be doing so based on her own experiences. I see no reason why my own experience was likely to be more accurate than hers. So, I’d give X the benefit of the doubt, and in any future dealings with X, I’d try and not start off with a confrontational attitude from the beginning itself, and instead try to see things from their perspective too. Well, I’d try, but I’m only human after all… 🙂
No, we don’t need more sleep. It’s our souls that are tired, not our bodies. We need nature. We need magic. We need adventure. We need freedom. We need truth. We need stillness. We don’t need more sleep, we need to wake up and live.
– Brooke Hampton
It’s true, isn’t it? Ask any person living in the so-called “adult” world, and they are more likely than not to tell you that they are tired, that they need a break. But no matter how much we rest or sleep each night, every night in the week, even catching some extra hours of sleep on the weekend, we don’t really feel as refreshed as we do after a short break or vacation from the monotony of our everyday lives.
Physical tiredness may be overcome by rest, but as Brooke Hampton said, it’s not our body that’s tired. It’s our soul.
We are tired of the constant challenges that we face in life – from little inconveniences to major setbacks, whether they be professional, financial, or personal. We are tired of the expectations that others have of us, that we have of ourselves, which are oftentimes unrealistic. We are tired of the constant deceptions and lies and betrayals that we feel we have been subjected to.
No amount of sleep can help us recover from these. What we need is a way to rejuvenate ourselves. A way to go back to the “beginning”. A way to reset and start over.
Many times in life, we find ourselves in situations where we can’t figure ourselves out. We don’t know why we act or think the way we do. And what we can do if we wanted to change ourselves.
As a typical INFP type personality (yes, I do think there’s some merit to this personality categorization. Don’t know about you, but it works for me at least), I definitely like introspecting and asking questions of myself, and, in the process, discovering more about myself. I may not always be right, but the desire to understand myself better is there.
Even though there are numerous self-help books and articles and talks and so-called “experts”, all telling us about ourselves (some sincerely and helpfully, some not), I think it’s rare to find opportunities to really know ourselves. And rarer still to find those opportunities at the “right” time. Because, to really make full use of any such chances, we need to be in the right frame of mind emotionally and spiritually, based on our experiences. I’ve had instances when the same things have made much more sense when I came across them after certain experiences, when I was in a certain place.
Life is a constant teacher, but one has to be ready to receive the lesson to really understand and remember it.
* * *
But you might ask: “Why does it matter how well I know myself?” Well, to each, her own. Perhaps a person can only answer that question for oneself. Or, who knows, maybe it doesn’t even matter for everyone. There are some who even say that knowing oneself could be dangerous. But for me personally, it matters. It matters a lot.Read More »
So, if you’ve been alive these past few months (meaning you used Facebook during this time), you must have heard about the recent “Laurel vs Yanni” debate. It was all over the web, but if you missed it, here’s the gist: There’s an audio recording of someone saying a name, and you must decide whether that name is “Laurel” or “Yanni”.
(The audio player in the linked post starts on mute. So, remember to turn up the volume if you don’t hear anything.)
Sounds simple, right? And it is. Until you ask a few other people. And then all hell breaks loose! People just can’t agree on what it is that they are hearing.
Let’s try an exercise today: I’d like you to think of at least one person whom you think is immature, childish, or unsophisticated. Take your time; no rush.
(Waiting….)
Any come to mind? No? Perhaps this might help: Such a person doesn’t conduct herself according to her age or reputation or environment. Maybe laughs or talks in a weird way. Is brazen, doesn’t know when to speak, and when to shut up. May ask for, or share, too much personal information.
(As I write this, I’m reminded of Mater from the Cars movie franchise. That’s not weird I hope.)
Does anyone come to mind now? I think by now, you probably can recall one such person. It would be fair game to call such a person immature, right?
Recently, I was the victim of one of life’s conspiracies to teach me a lesson. And although I had heard others talk about that lesson before, I had never fully realized its value and wisdom until life shoved it in my face.
And that lesson was the importance of finding a “center” in my life.
By “center” I mean something that one would love to be associated with in whatever way they can. It can be the people in one’s life, the work they do, an activity they like to engage in, or even something as abstract as a thought. The key thing is that nothing about the “center” feels like an inconvenience; just the mere thought of it should be able to bring one immediate calm and happiness.
So the other day, I decided to leave a bit early from office. Now usually, my office timings are 11 to 8. But sometimes, I leave a bit early. And for anyone from my office reading this blog, let me clarify – I’m not shirking my work; I completed the required hours of work after reaching home! 😉
So, anyways, as I was saying: Sometimes I leave early. I do this so that I can get to see the sun set (I have a thing for sunsets). And there’s a stretch on the way back home that offers a very nice view, weather permitting.
I’ve seen some really beautiful sights this way, but this time, the view was extraordinary. Golden-orange sunlight streamed through openings in the clouds. I could make out the edges of the beams of light, but just barely. It was more like a golden fog descending through the clouds, diffusing as it approached the ground, slowly disappearing mid-air, before ever touching down. It was spectacular! I wish I had a photograph or video, but I was driving and couldn’t stop to take one. (The above beautiful image is not mine!)
Watching this amazing sight triggered a thought, which has finally culminated in today’s blog. And that thought was: What other wonders have I been missing out on?
Echoes In The Ether 