You wake up in the morning and start meditating. You have this troubling sensation that something has been lacking in you.
You ask yourself what that could be.
You go to work and return home in the evening but you still feel that there is something lacking in you.
On Sundays you go to church and have some drinks with friends just to fulfill this sensation within you.
You find that the pastor’s sermon does not quench your thirst and the drinks are only a temporary pleasure.
If you have felt like this at some point in your life then you are not alone.
There is nothing wrong about you for you are just one of the more than six billion on this earth who are seeking the meaning of life.
It is normal to seek the meaning of life and to search for that which makes life meaningful.
Many a times we underestimate this search simply because we don’t realise that our whole life is a long search for the meaning of life.
It could be that we are too busy searching for the meaning of life to realise that we are already right in the middle of searching for that which gives meaning to life.
If you think I am bluffing then ask yourself why you visited your relatives, attended a funeral or went to church this week.
Camus, a philosopher of absurdism, argues that the world we are living in is meaningless, there is no inherent meaning in life but human beings are geared towards finding meaning.
As a result, there is this conflict between human minds seeking meaning in a world which is meaningless.
This to some extend makes sense, if we take what Camus is saying, how can we look for meaning into something meaningless? This is absurd, hence Camus’s theory of absurdism.
It is up to an individual to make their life meaningful. We must find reasons to continue living, and living meaningfully.
To show the seriousness of lack of meaning in life, some people find life too much. Hence such people opt for death or suicide. This happens because an individual cannot see any point of existing, so they think they are better-off dead.
Such people have no meaning to live for. They don’t find any meaning in life.
Unfortunately in my opinion, suicide is not a solution because you still die without figuring out your meaning in life.
Another obvious fact in dealing with this meaningless world is that, some people hasten to appeal to the Supreme Being either God, Allah, Molimo, Nkulunkulu or whatever concept they can use for such being.
To such people, only God makes life meaningful.
They too are trying to make this meaningless world meaningful. At least such people have reason to live, that is, to live for God. Life makes sense only if God is involved.
Some people appeal to morality rather than solely depend on God.
To such people, conducting themselves in accordance with moral laws and principles give them meaning in life.
To other people, following their cultural ideologies give them meaning in life.
To them things around them make sense only if they derive their point of reference from culture.
Such people are trying to make this meaningless world meaningful.
Others find meaning in material possessions and life makes sense only if wealth is involved.
Still others find meaning in intellectual formation.
My point is to show that people are in need of meaning in life and they search for that meaning in different ways.
In the search for meaning in life any belief can have powerful effects so long as it is held with sufficient conviction.
Do whatever keeps you going because whatever makes your life meaningful is worth following.
There is a well worn-out adage used mostly by young people which says “Do whatever makes you happy”.
I have no qualms with that except that I am convinced that you should do whatever gives you meaning to life.
When you have found meaning in your life then happiness is on its way.
In our quest to find meaning, we should be cautious not to compel others to follow what we find to be meaningful.
It might be your conviction, for example that, life does not depend on material things like houses, cars, and wealth you acquire.
I believe being happy, and with cheerful heart, sharing with others, is meaningful but that doesn’t mean it should be the same with you.
It would be unfair for someone who finds meaning in money to force me to find meaning in money as well.
I am solely responsible to live in accordance with my convictions.
In conclusion, note that it is in meaninglessness and confusion that new life springs up. Shaping your life is a task that only you can fulfill, remembering that whatever you give to life determines what you get out from it.
Be fulfilled and find meaning in your life now!
? Lepeli Moeketsi is a Sub-editor with Lesotho Times and Sunday Express.