The meaning of life, dilemma between joy and suffering

I’ve been asked many times, what is the meaning of life for you?

I never knew how to answer, but I realized that I didn’t actually have a ready answer. And so I took it as an intellectual challenge and did my soul searching.

The question about the meaning of life is perhaps one we would rather not ask, for fear of the answer or lack thereof.

We are in the Third Millennium and many people believe that we, humanity, are the creation of a supernatural entity called God, that God had an intelligent purpose in creating us, and that this intelligent purpose is “the meaning of life”. I actually believe that the entity is actually a scientific event, then there is always the doubt.

In fact it is not at all clear that there exists, God, or even can exist, some form of eternal afterlife that implies the survival of the personal ego.

Even if there were such an afterlife, living forever is not a goal in itself. The afterlife concept simply shifts the problem to one position, begging the question: what then is the purpose of the afterlife? If the afterlife has a predetermined purpose, then again, we don’t know what it is, and whatever it is, we’d rather be able to do without it.

Relying on an eternal afterlife not only postpones the question of life’s purpose, it dissuades or at least discourages us from determining one or more purposes for what may be the only life we ​​have.

So whether or not God exists, whether or not he has given us a purpose and whether or not there is an eternal afterlife, we had better create our own purpose or purposes.

I believe that first of all we need to understand why we create conditions, or conditions of suffering and not only of joy are created for us. Perhaps this also provides direction, the meaning of our lives.

As long as we dwell in suffering, the fabric of our life is dark, dreary and unproductive. Our life trajectory becomes an endless battle to be soothed, validated, and healed from some outside source.

But if we learn to fight our suffering and even develop it as a true life skill, we also discover a way to weave those dark threads into a more vibrant tapestry: the meaning of life and how we experience it can be rich and colorful . Indeed, our lives can become even more extraordinary and wonderful than if we had never suffered.

Creating joy out of suffering. This is a really, really tough life journey.

A life goal is to discover and cultivate joy in life, even in the face of suffering.

Learning to forgive, creating joy in others multiplies the joy in you. Being brave brings joy. Being kind brings joy. Making a difference through your work brings joy. The end point of the trajectory is to teach and try to lift people up and inspire them to reach their potential.

If you can become a person who exudes joy, it will surely make everything, every place and every person around you more joyful, peaceful and happy.

And then “the meaning of our life”, perhaps for the aftermath, we have not found it, but for today we can understand it in creating conditions of joy for ourselves and for others. And I would love to do it before the end.

Therefore, the dilemma remains, but as long as there is life there is hope, if there is life!

Gennaro Ruggiero – www.ruggierogennaro.wordpress.com