STV - What is the meaning of life?

Well call the Music Policy because I am breaking the law...breaking the law once again!

To Spread The Vibes on this Lazy Sunday Morning I have to bend the rules a little or a lot but in my defense I can say that it was a musical post.

The problem, it was my musical post, and to make things worse it was a #STV post already....and what I am going to jail for 4 sure is the fact that it was not the post but a comment, or not even a comment but a part of the comment that triggered this post.

One thing we shall never do when we want to reach higher levels of happiness is to do something for money. Perhaps we shall not even do things for someone else, but just for our pleasure. If others also experience joy out of our creations, the better, but shall not be the soul driver.

Now it did fit the musical trigger rule as that comment pulled a song from memories long gone right back into my fragmented mind:

Again I was reminded about that never-answerable question: What´s the meaning, what´s the meaning of life?

I´ve tried so many times before and always seem to end up empty-handed, it´s not like I gave up, more like accepting the status quo. The status quo being that the meaning of life is very personal or very generic.

The meaning of life is simple

The generic meaning is easy, life is to procreate...simple as that and procreation drives us to do crazy things, sweaty crazy things that you can hardly imagine are fun doing when you are a kid....still, those things drive most adults humans, and animals (well aren´t we all animals?)

And some humans might see it even more rigid:

The non-generic meaning of life

That is where things turn into a very common relationship status: It´s complicated.

Is the meaning a very personal thing, different for every soul? Or are we all looking for the same without knowing it?

That takes me back to the little bit of text by @edje that kept me up at night. You might wonder what miracle bit of text was able to do so well this bit:

to reach higher levels of happiness

Would that really be the personal driver, reaching higher levels of happiness? It sounded way too easy but if you deduct our lives and really look to see what is at the core driving us.....

• Love = Chemical-induced state of higher happiness
• Art = Creating and enjoying both trigger a higher state of happiness
• Caring = To be able to care for others gives purpose to a life but also creates a state of happiness
• God = religion provides a shelter for us, a guiding light, that gives life meaning and gives us a sense of..... yup you guessed it happiness.

Is the personal meaning of life that looks so very diversified to be reduced to something so simple as happiness and that our goal is to reach a higher level of happiness?

Chasing our higher happiness would that not make us all little hedonists? Chasing pleasure & desires to create fulfillment? Well, it probably does for many currently occupying this rock floating through space.

There is also another type of happiness, maybe to some a slightly more mature kind; eudaemonic happiness.

The question is do we start out chasing hedonistic happiness and grow into a being that chases the more eudaemonic happiness? Do we chase both from the start? Or does personality determine what type of happiness you pursue?

I know that hedonistic probably is well known, but for those that need a little help and don´t feel like Googling:

Eudaimonia: This type of happiness is derived from seeking virtue and meaning. Important components of eudaimonic well-being including feeling that your life has meaning, value, and purpose. It is associated more with fulfilling responsibilities, investing in long-term goals, concern for the welfare of other people, and living up to personal ideals.

And just to do some more teaching on a lazy Sunday this is what happiness means, just to give some concept to the otherwise empty word😉

happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

Now higher levels of happiness for me can still fit under both types, but the more I think about it the more that it seems like the correct answer.

The balance between Hedonistic and Eudaemonic might be different for all of us, but if we really do a root cause analysis isn´t happiness the sole driver?

Let´s see if I can come up with something other than happiness.

What (else) can drive us?

1. Survival
2. Greed
3. Satisfaction
4. Love
5. Desire
6. Hunger
7. Achievements
8. Creating
9. Teaching
10. Jealousy
11. Hate
12. Anger

Whatever I come up with, I can bring it back to that higher level of happiness. Because accomplishing tasks within that what drives you will trigger happiness.

Now it might be me being so close to it that I no longer see clearly anymore. Maybe it´s that what is left of my brain indeed only lives to ensure that higher state of happiness, maybe I have just a blind spot?

But for me it makes sense and even if the devil would ask me I could not tell him that there was any other driver to our personal meaning of life than pursuing happiness.

Hence to stick a little to the Spread The Vibes rulebook, I invite all readers to prove me wrong and give me one good reason for the personal meaning of life that can not be reduced to happiness!

What is Spread The Vibes

If you want to know more about the Spread The Vibe Challenge not A challenge please clikerdeeclick me

Thank goodness you made it till the end peace, love and I am out of here!