Existentialists have developed their philosophy around the idea that "life is absurd." Hedonists have made it their life goal to pursue pleasure. There are also those who look at life as meaningless. Quite frankly, such thinking is a tad too depressing. If it is meaningless, what prevents people from suicide? It is because they have found their purpose in life and have actively sought meaning.

People are aware that life is very short and will end someday. As such, when a family member or a loved one dies, they are confronted with the shortness of life and the fleeting nature of everything. Depending on the points of view that people may have and the intensity of their feelings, they might want to do something significant and important before they die. They want to discover their purpose and live their lives in accordance with that vision.

Finding meaning in life, however, does not come naturally. Rather, it should be sought actively within the heart of the person or even in his environment. This is not an easy undertaking and sometimes, the temptation to back off and just live life without purpose is too great. People, of course, do not realize that they are living life without purpose. They just go through each day without thinking about what truly makes them alive, what gives them purpose and meaning. Each decision and action actually becomes an implicit answer to the search for the meaning of life.

A lengthy life is a good one. Well, not exactly. There are still a lot of factors that should be looked at. Instead of looking at the length of one's life, we should be looking at its depth. Problems are as much a part of life as victories and successes. Yet, these problems provide an opportunity for people to think about what truly matters to them. This is because at the heart of every problem is a choice of what is important to the person: career, spirituality, social standing, riches, or whatever.

By taking a look at the problems that one life has experienced, the lessons learned become apparent and depth becomes more visible to a person trying to review one's life. Not every person who dies gets a chance to have a biographer who will write the story of his life. Yet, every life lived to the fullest will be remembered by people who were touched by such a life.

BlueWaterArticles.com: - How to Find More Meaning in Your Life

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The One Question is a website that helps people discover their purpose in life. It discusses the meaning of life and lets you find yours.