Often times, people wonder, what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of everything I do?
Some people find answers in religion. Others in family. Still others fill this void of purpose with alcohol, gambling, or sex. Others still, spend their whole lives feeling empty.
In religion
Now, I haven't participated in every religion in the world. So I can't really speak for what it could mean to everyone. I can only say what it meant to me, and what it means to others I know.
For some people, the journey to understanding God and who he is, is the ultimate goal in life. And though they feel they may never fully understand him, they strive to get to know him. In these cases they see God as something outside of anything we know. He is neither living nor dying, but simply an infinite nothing which causes existence TO BE. He is what he is. The creator.
Others see religion as a way of living life. "What Would Jesus Do?" they ask themselves, and try to follow the example of a "Perfect Man".
For me, religion was an oppressive burden which I never understood, and the more I tried to understand, the more I wanted to distance myself from it.
Alcohol, Gambling, and Sex
I've done all three of these things, and I understand how addicting it can all be. In the end, like most things in life, it's not a good thing to fully devote yourself to it. Whether its drinking too much, doing too many drugs, gambling away your savings, home and family, or sleeping around to excess and hurting those you care about. Those who fill their lives with it, are sometimes doing so because they have no other purpose in life, and so what started off as a fun, sometimes thing, becomes an all the time, time sink of MMO proportions.
Family
Living for your family. This has a couple of different meanings, and the most negative one is to put everyone else above yourself. In this case, the worst case scenario is the person who is a workaholic so their family can have "everything", or the person who stays at home and cooks, cleans, and never is appreciated for what they do, the doormat.
A more positive version, is the dedicated parent, the devoted spouse, and the dear child. When your actions and love are reciprocated with like action and love. But even then, something is still missing, and sometimes people are not fully satisfied with what they have.
Balance
Growing up as a Libra, I always viewed the world as something that should be balanced. Reality of course is never balanced, but we can choose to balance ourselves at least. Because when you're living, you have to live for yourself most of all. Otherwise, you'll be dissatisfied with life.
I know I want to spend time with my wife, my son, my mother, my brothers, my friends, my projects, my games, my dreams. Sometimes you have to give yourself the time to spend with these things.
Finding that balance, is how you find the Path to Pangoria.
