The Meaning of Life

It seems to me that one thing that changes the most as a person gets older is his or her answer to the question: "what is the meaning of life?".

The answer to that question all depends on where someone is in life and what he has been through up to that point. And no matter how right anyone thinks he is, the answer really is always wrong and possibly always right as well.

When I was a teenager, for example, I believed that life's purpose was to experience every little thing I could. Whether it was positive or negative did not matter to me. I had to take in everything. I looked at the world and held my arms wide open. I refused to settle on one career path because I didn't believe I could choose only one? Possibilities were endless to me. I would sometimes just sit and think about every possible path and it would boggle my mind to the point in which I became paralyzed in my choices.

By the time I hit my late 20's, I had experienced and failed to experience quite a bit. I hadn't chosen a career path so I was adrift in temporary choices. Feeling like options were slipping past me every single day. I got married and had a baby very early in my 20's but I never felt like it was the answer to my question of purpose. Doors started closing for me. I remember the day I realized I'd never become an astronaut, for example. Seems silly to an outsider, but it was a devastating realization to me. Simply because I realized an option was now completely off the table. What other choices would soon be removed from my life, never to return?

I also believe that once a decade everyone goes through a mini life crisis. Considers life and tries to determine if choices were made correctly. Regrets surface and plans are made to make changes in the future. Towards the middle and through to the end of my 20's I did exactly that and moved into a different phase of my life. I got a divorce and moved out on my own. The meaning of life turned into a quest to find myself. I had been so buried in my husband's choices and way of life that I no longer knew who I was. I had to get to the core of "me".

The meaning of life quickly turned again. I became convinced that making connections with people was the right answer. Impacting each other in a positive way. It was all so simple. We are here on this planet to mingle. To influence. To empathize. And finally, to give each other a helping hand when needed. It was what I needed at that moment, so it was technically the right answer for me. But for someone in a different place, it could be the totally wrong answer as well. I have also cycled through the answers of "family and friends", "success", and "to be a positive tool for my creator". All legitimate answers.

This is why I try to always keep an open mind. My perceptions are based on my experience while yours are based on your own experiences. I can never be 100% right when I tell you how to proceed. The winner of any debate is based on crowd perception. How similar we are when it comes to our life experiences. The more similar, the more we agree. But does that make the other guy wrong? Not necessarily. There are certain basic rights we all have as human beings that are not debatable. Or shouldn't be, anyways. Other than that, a question like "what is the meaning of life?" is open for interpretation and the answer given will always be both right and wrong.

A Big Gripe

Not that I plan on getting too much into my personal religious beliefs here, but I felt like addressing something. 

Chick-Fil-A. Need I say more? They have made no pains of hiding that they are a Christian company. They have their set of beliefs. And whether they are right or wrong is unimportant to what I am about to say. 

I believe EVERY person has a right to their own beliefs, opinions and the choice on what to do with them belongs to the individual. Is it not hypocritical to say "you're not being open minded and fair- STOP"? Is that not being closed minded? If one person is allowed to believe the way he or she thinks is right (and yes, I think gay marriage IS something people should feel like they can fight for), why is it okay, though, to ban another person's opinions on the matter? Self righteousness goes both way. People will say that being on the side of gay marriage is the only right way to be and we must punish those who think otherwise. But isnt that still sending a message of hate and exclusion? And is that the message that needs sent? Again? 

Person A's beliefs are just as valid to him as Person B's beliefs are. Punishing actions are one thing. Punishing beliefs are a completely different thing. 

And again, Im not writing about this to say I take Chick-Fil-A's side OR the flip side. I simply believe that we should think about our reactions to other people's beliefs and contemplate what actions we take. Boycotting may be the right thing for one person. And if someone else does not choose to boycott it doesn't automatically make them wrong. 

I could go into the possible ramifications of the government taking action to suppress the chicken company's right to open more locations, but I will not. Here's an article about it that sums that up well, I think. 

Just think before jumping. To either side of the road. That is my request. (And remember when you point a finger, there are three more pointing back at you). Yeah, that sounded childish perhaps, but it still stands true. 

And Opinions

Perceptions change as we age. They are based on our experiences and our environment. I've recently discovered a new philosophical approach of explaining my point of view on perceptions. Its called Enactivism. Its like combining nature and nurture (which Ive always believed was the case anyways). So, I was thinking back to the way I used to view the world as a teen and was slightly awed by how much it has changed. But that is the way of all people. To change and adapt.

The biggest difference between then and now? Optimism versus realism. I think most people are pretty optimistic when young. The world is open for exploring and millions of possibilities stand at the ready. Then life happens and its full of setbacks and missed opportunities and sometimes huge rewards. And each one of those will color a person's perceptions moving forward.

Media, social networking, employment choices, economic conditions and interpersonal relationships all make little grooves into a person's perceptions.

The danger lies in believing one's own perceptions (and belief systems that arise from those perceptions) are the only ones who are correct. In reality, we all have gotten to our current state of beliefs from very different roads. And in that regard, no one person can have the exact right answers to anything based on his or her particular life path.

At least that's what I perceive to be true.