No one will deny that we are going through an uncertain and challenging period around the Chinese New Year due to the 5th wave of the pandemic. When we celebrate the coming of the Year of Tiger, we may experience a feeling of living in a parallel spacetimes with our fellow Hongkongers who are being isolated or having threats of financial difficulties or unemployment. We may question our meaning of life for living a routine life without knowing our purposes or direction for our future, given all the uncertainties and challenges. Even in middle age, we may still ask the questions, “Why are we here in the earth?” and “What is the meaning of living in the earth?”
According to Irvin D. Yalom, an American existential psychiatrist, meaning in life refers to “whether life in general or at least human life fits into some overall coherent pattern”. When we ask “What is the meaning of my life?”, we want to know whether we possess a sense of purpose or function to be fulfilled, or some overall goals to be achieved. Some people with religious beliefs may think that their meaning of life is a part of the plan or design of the higher devine, the God. However, even if we believe in God and accept that God has plans for us, our lives are meaningful to God’s plan. In this sense, we cannot be sure that achieving God’s plan on us has our own meaning in life. In fact, according to Yalom, one can have a personal meaning of life without a religious belief. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, stated that many people feel anxious or fearful for having to create ones’ own meaning in life, if actually, there may not be any predetermined meaning or purpose in our lives. He believes that we are afraid of taking the responsibility of our own lives and embracing the freedom of defining our own meaning in life.
It is our tradition to wish each other “Kung Hei Fat Choy” in Chinese New Year. It is beyond dispute that being rich and successful are life goals of many people. However, when we finally are being able to become rich or successful, such as having bought a luxury flat or house, or being the CEO of a listed company, we may not find the true meaning of our lives. There are a lot of examples in which when people achieved ones’ goals, they felt nothing special about it and the feeling was not as exciting or fulfilling as ones expected. For instance, in the movie, “Soul”, Joe Gardner did not feel extraordinarily excited or fulfilled after being able to perform with a famous jazz band that he all along dreamed of. In this sense, achieving a meaningful goal may not imply we have a life with our own meaning. Up to now, people may feel confused and anxious about having no guidance or reference to find ones’ meaning of life. What are we going to do about this?
We could see our life as a journey and experience each moment of our lives fully. It does not mean that we should not set goals or strive for wealth or success. It is important for us to know that our starting point or our final achievement is not the most significant part of this journey. The most important part is how we live our lives fully in this journey. Are we enjoying our simple food in every meal? Are we treasuring our connection with every human being in this world? Are we appreciating the flowers and trees along the path every day when we travel to work? In this life journey, we may encounter lots of difficulties and challenges, we need to accept that this is the normality of a journey. In fact, when we can focus ourselves in experiencing every moment in our lives, we may also be able to appreciate the bitterness and sourness in our difficulties or challenges. May I wish you a prosperous, peaceful and healthy Year of Tiger!
