Exploring Life’s Meaning

What does it mean to be grown up? For most people it means you’re less fun because you act more serious -- something to do with that “responsibility” stuff. You lose a part of yourself that makes life a glorious gift: Your sense of fun and adventure. Scarily, most grown-ups have no clue what they’re missing. They’re lost. They can’t remember how much fun life can be. You can’t blame them either.

Look at the social conditioning all around us. For example, we go from elementary school to junior high school, junior high school to high school, high school to college, and college to get a job and begin our career. We build our career to start a family, start a family to raise our kids, raise our kids so maybe they can continue our legacy and essentially begin the whole cycle all over again. Sounds a little monotonous, doesn’t it? The impact of this potentially life-draining, unconscious pattern on our overall quality of life should be our major concern.

Our culture has become completely obsessed with doing things just for the sake of doing them, with no greater purpose in mind. Most of us are floating through space and time with no true meaning. Perhaps we all need to pause, take a step back, look around, and survey what’s going on here. Myself included.

When was the last time you hung out in the presence of a baby? For me it was a few weeks ago. Little Sandy is about eighteen months old. With all the toys and constant stimuli Sandy had from the family throughout the day, he still spent the majority of his time staring up and pointing to the slow, spinning ceiling fan. With a room packed with endless toys and engaging, playful interaction, the fan enchanted Sandy. It wasn’t simply awe of the mysterious moving device; it was joy, passion, excitement and fun -- all the juices of life.

We go out of our way to try to “be successful” so we can have all those things that little Sandy gets by looking up at a fan. Hold on, perhaps I’m mistaken. Perhaps we no longer want those things. As adults, maybe we seek power, prestige and acknowledgement. Maybe we leave joy, passion, excitement and fun to the younger generations because adults don’t need that stuff. Maybe that’s what we tell ourselves.

I’ve been on that path of boring adulthood for some time. In fact, I’m writing this because I want to bring it all back -- the fun, passion, excitement -- and embrace a juicy new vision of life.

Your duty is to make the most of every precious moment. That’s your adventure: A magnificent quest to live each moment, as a joyous, glorious gift to be treasured for that moment alone -- for that is all you need.

Let your new Journey begin right now!

Scott Jeffrey