Meaning
“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” – Nietzsche
There is the true joy of life; to be used by a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; to be thoroughly worn out before being thrown on the scrap heap; to be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that life will not devote itself to making you happy. – George Bernard Shaw
“My formula for human greatness is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not in the future, not in the past, not for all eternity. Not only to endure what is necessary, still less to conceal it — all idealism is falseness in the face of necessity — , but to love it…” – Nietzsche
If you were to know all the decisions in life were the right ones.
Getting to the bottom of it.
This is the essence of all spirituality and religions.
We try and find doctrines that help assure us that we are on the right path and that all this is not wasted effort.
The east thinks about things more in the moment. This is the ultimate truth of this day and age. No longer is the path to salvation in the distant future but is obtainable here, now.
Mans Search for Meaning
- “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life.” He quotes Nietzsche’s words, “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”
- But then Frankl made a crucial, helpful point: It’s fruitless to try to think in the abstract about what life in general means. The meaning of one’s life is only discernible within the specificcircumstances of one’s own specific life. In the concentration camp, he writes, “We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were beingquestioned
- by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and right conduct.
- I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that we are all looking to do something we enjoy in life. Unfortunately many of have a misunderstandign about what success means to us and get side tracked by empty persuits: fame, money, power.
- “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” - Steve Jobs