If there is no meaning in life, there is nothing, I recall telling the participants in a class in acceptance that meets every Monday at 7 pm in St. Barnabas Church school building on Phlox off of 10 Mile Road in Roseville.
And, I said, there is no meaning without faith.
Victor Hugo's Man's Search for Meaning says it best: If one has a reason to live for he can bear almost anything. He should know. He was in a concentration camp and survived. Nelson Mandela planted a garden while imprisoned a decade. He found meaning and lived. He even chose to forgive those who unjustly incarcerated him. He didn't want to be imprisoned any longer after he was released. He let go of holding any resentment.
If I'm feeling down, I reach out and visit or call someone and find meaning beyond myself. Then, I watch the feelings buoy with hope.
Jospeh Campbell urged that one find his or her deepest passion in life and follow it. What excites me is worthy of following in assisting those in need especially. I enjoy writing, visiting jails and hospitals. I relish watching people mend. For me, those are meaningful events.
Meaning.
Meaning matters. It matters most I told the class Monday. Life gets "small" when I have little or no meaning to give me purpose. Extending myself is key to happiness. Serving others is a meaningful way to live.
Tuesday, May 18th at a 5:30 pm pot luck dinner and 7 pm class on end of life experiences, dying and death, we'll look at meaning again in Sacred Heart Church school building at 18430 Utica Road at Gratiot in Roseville. Call me at 586 777 9116 to reserve a space. Join me.
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