Life is like looking for your phone. Most of the time, it’s in your hand.
I’ve been a firm believer of the existential view of life which states that every individual is responsible for creating meaning or purpose of his life. Our individual purpose or meaning is not given to us by Gods, governments, teachers or other authorities. It can, therefore, be inferred that what works for one individual may not necessarily work for another. There is no generic formula that can be applied to all human beings when it comes to finding the meaning or purpose.
Life in general, is a game of cards, dealt blind. While some receive aces, others have to make do with the measly twos, threes and fours. It now depends upon the individual to either put together the sixes and sevens and create a sequence out of them or be at sixes and sevens! Wise men often advise about such peculiar situations through adages like, When life gives you a rainy day, play in the puddles.
When so-called life gurus dole out meaning and purpose of your life through their well-rehearsed intonations and flawless Ted or non-Ted talks, believe me they have no idea what constitutes your life. Unaware of your set of cards, your strengths and weaknesses, the unusual circumstances of your existence and the random variables of your composition, they pan out the most universal recipe of finding yourself and the meaning of your existence. However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that no man can live your life for you and hence, can by no means devise a formula for you. Remember, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
Most fortune tellers in our country thrive not on the basis of their sound knowledge of astrology but through a subtle play on the human frailty of trying to find answers outside rather than looking for them on the inside. To 75% of their clients, they have similar findings to offer. Sample this, “You are very sensitive by nature”; “You are always kind to others but people do not return your generosity”; “You are a faithful friend/person but you are often betrayed by others”; “You are always misunderstood by others” and such like clichés.
{{/usCountry}}Most fortune tellers in our country thrive not on the basis of their sound knowledge of astrology but through a subtle play on the human frailty of trying to find answers outside rather than looking for them on the inside. To 75% of their clients, they have similar findings to offer. Sample this, “You are very sensitive by nature”; “You are always kind to others but people do not return your generosity”; “You are a faithful friend/person but you are often betrayed by others”; “You are always misunderstood by others” and such like clichés.
{{/usCountry}}A sound mind will never succumb to such weak arguments. On the contrary, a wise man will try to judge his true nature by putting forth rational statements instead of indulging in a rhetoric of blame. Similarly, he would try to find the meaning or purpose of his life by analysing all miscellaneous factors – positive and negative; pros and cons; desirable and undesirable; formative and destructive. Of course, your well-wishers and benefactors can, at times, guide and propel you towards your goal of self-actualisation but none can help you attain it because every step that you take forward will make you realise if what you wish to attain is, actually the meaning you are looking for. There are no shortcuts. Rung by rung, you have to ascend the ladder that will lead you to the divine purpose of your existence.
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The writer is an associate professor of English at SD College, Ambala Cantt