What is the point of life? Do you ever wonder that? Does life often seem to you that it’s an endless chase after things that never bring any long-lasting fulfillment?
Take those who are single. Many often feel so darn lonely and crave a relationship, only to be disappointed when they finally find one, yet still feel alone when all is said in done, only to eventually find themselves either single again or constantly day-dreaming that someone else is better out there for them.
How about those who are in jobs that often feel like what they do is pointless? That all it serves is getting them a paycheck. They’re sick of their bosses, their co-workers, the “system” there, or something else. So, they crave a position elsewhere and place all their energy in looking for one, only to ultimately find themselves in similar frustrations once they find it.
How about those who feel like their homes, their cars, their clothes, or any other possessions aren’t exactly what they need? They think a different home somewhere else or a newer car without any problems or nicer clothes that aren’t so worn out or outdated, or the latest electronic gadgets will end that craving, only to see that once they get it and the newness of it wears off, that the fulfillment is gone.
How about those who feel like some type of award or achievement will make their life become more meaningful? They strive so hard to achieve it, and when they do, it’s still not enough to fill the void, leaving them striving for even greater recognition.
How about those who feel that some type of change to their outer appearance is all that’s needed to be content? Changes such as a tattoo, a cosmetic surgery, or a product to reduce the appearance of aging. But, when any of which is completed, they find the desire for something else to change with their appearance arising.
And of course, how about those who seek greater income because they believe the income they have isn’t able to support the life they feel they need, yet even when they get greater income, their problems tend to multiply, often driving them even further on a quest for even greater income.
I have had plenty of experience with all these illusions. No matter what person, place, or thing I ever chased after, thinking it might bring lasting satisfaction, contentment and fill that emptiness I had within, once I got it, I still became empty again at some point. Sure, each brought me temporary happiness, but it ultimately always eventually evaporated, leaving me in the exact same place of longing for something else. When I found life in recovery from addiction, I thought that maybe finally there I would rise above this endless cycle of seeking fulfillment, as there I was told that helping other suffering individuals would remedy my lack of fulfillment in life. But, even with the many ways I’ve reached out to help others over the years, I have remained unfulfilled more than not, which has left me wondering.
What if life isn’t meant to be in any of the things we think we need to have or do that we end up seeking with such voraciousness? What if life is really meant to be exactly the way it is for us right now and that it’s only our ego that tries to make us believe it’s not? Can fulfillment truly be found by not chasing after the things our ego tells us will end our suffering?
It’s a hard question to ponder I know, but I have thus far in life never found any long-lasting fulfillment in any of the things I sought and obtained in this world. Contrary, the only time I’ve ever experienced any type of lasting fulfillment came from when I meditated on a retreat into a very deep state years ago. For many months after it, through repeated meditation, I found myself experiencing a level of peace and joy I never imagined I could in this life, even in the midst of suffering and my ego telling me what it thought I needed. Unfortunately, when life threw me a few curve balls, I allowed addiction to rule my life again, which brought back a stronger ego and a fall back into the illusion that some person, place, or thing would somehow bring that lasting fulfillment back. It never did, nor have I been able to find it through daily meditation either, which has led me in recent years to take a different approach.
Almost as if I’m doing a living meditation now, I’m sitting through all my sufferings, and doing my best not to listen to what my ego thinks I need to end it and bring fulfillment back. Instead, I’m waiting and observing, and channeling all my energy into remaining spiritually healthy as I do, which has precipitated some into telling me they think I’m living in insanity, doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
But maybe that’s the illusion right there, thinking that we have to change something to make our suffering less and our fulfillment greater. Maybe true fulfillment in life will only come when we finally stop trying to chase after something, when we stop giving into to all those endless cravings for the things our ego’s think we need, and instead sit through our sufferings. As maybe it’s in those moments when we do, we’ll meet our Maker the greatest and maybe then it’s also when we’ll experience a much more lasting fulfillment and possibly even learn a little more about the point to our lives…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
