The Pursuit of Meaning: Embracing Life's Struggles and Triumphs

Life, in its essence, is a crucible of challenges, hardships, and vicissitudes that one should fiercely confront to fulfill whatever is expected of them to realize—from a societal perspective. One can navigate life's contingencies clumsily or deftly, whether they grapple with what could be conceived as insurmountable obstacles or successfully transcend what was primarily thought of as unbearable hurdles.

Life is suffering. This is the mantra of the Buddhist doctrine. If we gaze attentively enough into this mantra and delve deeply into its interwoven layers, we could eventually emerge with a plausible understanding of its meanings. Therefore, we would certainly develop a tenacious resiliency to endure indescribably insufferable circumstances that may lie ahead awaiting us.

To live a meaningless life in an indifferent universe is a pathetic situation to be in. Your place in the world—from a long shot—might seem devoid of any spiritually meaningful purpose that would firmly shield and drive you through the hurtling blows of fate with the minimum bearable consequences. For every human individual, there is some form of meaning, an elusive one. At times, they succeed in approaching it; at others, it eludes them, indifferently leaving them in simmering turmoil.

With this fluctuation of beliefs, people live in unavoidable agony, their souls wavering between uncertainty and what they deemed truthful. One's meaning could be found in various aspects of life, such as love, work, suffering, or music—a wide range which individuals could initially comb, then immerse themselves in; grappling, wrestling, contending with what might loom as doubtful existential questions hindering them from reaching enlightenment, to eventually resurface with a meticulously sculptured meaning. Or not.

Finding a meaning eclipses all other priorities in one's life. For this dire endeavor, individuals should yearningly pursue the flickering light in the darkened tunnel of their dismal life that might serve as guidance and incentive to pave their ways to eventually end up with a purpose at hand. One of those endeavors might—for some people—be work. Industrious individuals tend to vigorously devote tremendous hours, more than the average, to their professional field, working tirelessly towards their lucrative objectives and esteemed hierarchically high status.

Through work, one can achieve remarkable success—according to their own definition of success. As ensuing results of this success, not only will their self-esteem, self-image, and self-admiration inevitably reflect on their life as a consequence, but it will also undoubtedly be mirrored on those around them, starting with their loved ones.

The ones we love—our children, spouses, or parents—might be our purpose in life as well. Their presence is crucial in our lives, and how we implicitly and explicitly reciprocate with one another matters. Love is a precursory element to attachment. To be firmly entangled with those you love has its merits—as it has its willingly-kept-unseen negativities. It could give a sense of meaning to your unoriented, gloomy life and pave your way to the fulfillment you long for.

To love is to be imbued with warm feelings and emotions that regularly nudge you to dedicate your time religiously to your loved ones. This would spare you the torment which could be inflicted upon you otherwise if your life were devoid of love in this indifferent universe.

Your place in the universe through a large lens is of no significant importance. You are, as Carl Sagan said, "a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam." Your existence may seem trivial, with no meaning ahead to aspire to. Your mundane life may consist of daunting yet simple tasks undertaken under the obligation of keeping you alive, yet reluctantly, indolence and complacency would reign over your wrecked existence.

So you had better find solace in pushing the rock uphill as Sisyphus has done since time immemorial. It takes stupendous courage to acknowledge the inherent reality of life's tragedies. Once you have that valor and shoulder your responsibilities as they should be taken care of, you could sight—at the beginning—a dimly beckoning light on the horizon. For the things you direly need in your life reside where you least want to look. That myriad of responsibilities and meaning would engulf your life, giving you resiliency, solace, and adaptability.