ASK JAMES: OBESITY, SLEEP, REGRETS, CRAPPY BOSSES, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

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THE MEANING OF LIFE

valuewalk VALUEWALK LLC  Asks: What is the meaning of life?

ANSWER:

To answer this question requires some ego. Like I know what the meaning of life is. But I’ll answer it anyway.

The meaning of life is to avoid all quest for meaning.

Some people find meaning in making money. Some in meditation. Some in art. But all of these things entail much suffering also. Making money certainly does. Its hard to do it. It often involves much pain when money is lost or deals are rejected,or whatever. Even meditation – striving for some inner peace, often brings up frustration when you can’t get those lousy thoughts out of your head. Or making art, when you are either disappointed in your final result…or even worse…other people are. Ouch! When you pour your heart into something and the final result is brushed aside by the amateur critic…”this sucks”, is a crushing  feeling, devoid of meaning, of the meaning of life.

ASK JAMES: OBESITY, SLEEP, REGRETS, CRAPPY BOSSES, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

Most self-help guys, from Tony Robbins, to John Maxwell, to whoever, say “write down your goals.” This might be good advice for moving towards those goals. But it’s bad advice for the meaning of life. Almost all goals are man-made. Becoming CEO ofa company is a man-made goal. And involves a lot of unpleasantness. Writing a novel is a painful man-made goal.

So today, maybe for a moment or two, try to just find silence. Stop listening to everyone with goals. Stop talking to people about your goals. Stop striving for meaning. Stop watching mindless TV or even mindless books or looking at a sunset. It’s all meaningless. Just be quiet for a bit with no goals.

I wish I could do this. I wish I were strong enough to find the real meaning of life: A life without meaning.

Link To Full Article: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/12/ask-james-obesity-sleep-regrets-crappy-bosses-and-the-meaning-of-life/

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