As one grows older they contemplate the meaning of life, what it all means, and what was the purpose of one’s existence in the grand scheme of things. The desire of having meaning in one’s life increases as you near the autumn and winter of your life.

Some fall into the trap of possessions and wealth, thinking life is all about what one can obtain for one’s own pleasure and comfort. Sure having plenty of money and nice trinkets and objects around you makes life a bit more pleasant in some ways, but do they really bring you happiness or do they just give you a temporary sense of achievement?

As long as you do not allow wealth and possessions to control your life and you avoid the addictive thing called greed you are fine. Having nice things and money is not wrong, just when you put more value on possessions and wealth than on human life and wellbeing you are walking a dangerous and addictive path.

Far as the meaning of life, or more precisely the meaning of your own life, it is something you create and chose. What you do, say, and how you live your life is what gives meaning to your own life. Being compassionate, charitable, and loving to others is one way to give your own life meaning. Far as the meaning of life in general, I believe it is to live, learn, love, and experience all life has to offer.

The biggest challenge I have found in my life is keeping the self in check, the side of myself that is selfish, self-serving, and constantly viewing life as if it was only mine. It is hard not to think everything said or done around you isn’t somehow aimed at you or done for your sake one way or another. It is part of the way the human mind works to a degree.

So I must remind myself daily, that I am but one of the many, just another passenger on the great spaceship we call earth. Though I am just a grain of sand on the beaches of life, I am a part of those beaches so I am neither greater nor lesser than the rest. I do my best to remove the shackles of individualism while in turn, I try not to get lost in being a part of the great wholeness of life. The Great balancing act of being a sentient being in the universe.

So instead of trying to find meaning in life, go out and create meaning in your own life. Serve others more so than just serving yourself in life, and find a balance between being an individual and being a part of the whole. Be yourself and accept both yourself and others as who they are without condition.