The meaning of life throughout time has always been to find happiness.
People believe that in order to have success in life, one has to find happiness.
At some point, in my teenage days, I argued that the meaning of life was to be successful because it is better to wake up in the morning knowing that you can be proud of yourself for your previous accomplishments. I also believed in quotes like "tough times do not last, but tough people do."
Then I read a book by Darius Foroux which emphasizes that the meaning of life is to be useful. As he quotes, "Always be useful." It seemed like a pretty reasonable point of view, but not the meaning of life I have found to be truly worthy of my way of being.
As an adult, I've learned that the meaning of life is different for everyone.
Everyone can have a different meaning of life and depending on the age, it can change as well. Before I mention the meaning of life I conceptualize, let's review the three flaws of the three meanings of life mentioned in this text by turn.
The flaw with happiness is that it is only temporary. Happiness happens in special moments and we cannot seek constant pleasure 100% of the time. In fact, it would be selfish and would contradict the fact that people can be selfless.
Being successful is always great, but it keeps people in constant motion and pursuing constant achievements which wear out one's mental health. Although it is a worthy point of view to have at a young age, it is not maintaining consistency about what life is all about.
Be useful is a good perspective, but it does bring a sense of relief for accomplishments. As I said, one has to look out for their own mental health as well. Not feeling useful would make one feel bad when they are doing nothing but doing nothing might be a coping strategy for their mental health.
The best philosophy is to have a sense of peace.
Peace is a much worthy goal because, unlike happiness, it is long-lasting. Unlike being successful, it does not keep one in constant motion and allows time for breaks. Finally, unlike being useful, it allows the individual to spend time being human - the most important thing of all.
