The Two Ways to Live
As far as I can tell, there are two ways in which to live this life. You can either operate under the notion that you are one of seven billion humans on a speck of dust in an infinite cosmos and that nothing matters. Or you can alternately live life following the idea that you are a being endowed with consciousness, and therefore are awareness that the universe has given itself, subsequently everything you do does matter. Both are equally valid ways of living your life, both can extract positive ways to live life, but its important to know what path you are on, or what path to choose.
Nothing you do matters.
If you live as if nothing you do matters, life doesn’t need to be taken seriously. Lots of people are living a life of suffering because they assume that it’s serious. Now this is not to say that life is not worth living, but to say that the point of life is not to get caught up in it, but to sit back and watch it. Consider life as a game for a moment, the social and economic game of life that everyone’s caught up in. Not taking life seriously is the same as not taking the game seriously. You can either; try and win the game, pursuing money and power, or you can choose to not participate and watch how the game unfolds.
Becoming content with what you have is a path to gratitude. It runs under the assumption that the conditions for life are optimal; and that the point of life is to enjoy it. So immerse yourself in whatever it is you love doing. Now if you are really good at living this way you’ll find a way to get paid for what you love doing, so that you don’t need to take life seriously at all. People think that the end game for life is to be happy all the time. But happiness is an emotion, and like all emotions, it is temporary, coming and going like the wind.
Now if life is merely a repeated mechanical pattern, forever increasing in complexity, one can learn to give up the search for meaning. Giving up the search for meaning is implicitly assuming that the purpose of life is itself. What I mean by this is life is that there is no puzzle to solve, like listening to music or dancing, the purpose is to be immersed in it until it’s over. This notion can be applied to all of life once it is realised that life cannot be controlled or manipulated, you are along for the ride.
It’s also important to point out that taking this point of view on things has certain implications. Firstly you appreciate the ordinary as if it were extraordinary, ants climbing a tree, or clouds drifting idly by. Secondly you cannot resist any change; you must detach from expectations and let go of all attachment. The reason for this is there will be moments in life where something unexpected happens, something changes, and you must accept that it is part of something beautiful yet uncontrollable. Learning to let go is a an eclectic supposition on the path to mental freedom.
Everything you do matters.
Taking the idea that you have consciousness, therefore have responsibility for yourself and your life requires a serious amount of work, but you can make it worth your while. It assumes that the game of life is a serious one, implying that you aim should be to leave it better off than you found it. If everything you do does in fact matter, you should be striving to achieve the maximum of your potential while minimising the suffering of both yourself and others.
Suffering is a part of life; there will be times when your life seems chaotic and directionless. But don’t let this get you down, accept that life has a great deal of suffering in it but you also have the power to change your situation. The premise behind this point of view is this; find a purpose that makes the suffering in life worthwhile.
A lot of the time hardship is the seed that sows motivation, ambition and vocation. Think about all the people you draw inspiration form in your life. I guarantee that at least half them have suffered extensively for a certain period in their lives. Once people understand that the can do something about it, they become unstoppable. Suffering has taught me more than any person about both life and myself, I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t been so beat down before.
Life is about your personal truth; you’ll know what it is once you find it. Once you’ve found it, devote your life to it. For me it’s thinking about the biggest questions mankind has asked, and trying to answer them. I’m telling you all my truth, and I think that’s why it resonates with many of you, because it’s authentic. Your truth will be your biggest motivator for the rest of your life, and it will come from within.
These contrasting ways to live both can be extremely beneficial for mental health. On the one hand complete release of control is freeing, and allows you to go with the flow of life rather than against it. On the other hand devoting your life to a purpose is very fulfilling and sustainable. An intelligent person may take the best aspects of both ways of living and combine them to master their pursuit of purpose and acceptance of change.
From the ashes, you will rise.
Liam