Finding meaning in life lessons

Death is something we will all have to deal with one day. When we reach the end of life, how will we face it? This is an uncomfortable issue for me to think about. Prior to reading this book, I had one perspective regarding perceptions or feelings towards death. As the old professor used his life as an example, and shared his thoughts and feelings, I found myself reexamining my own life and gaining a keen awareness of the value of life.

The following quote is one of the most inspirational sentences of the entire book: "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things that they think are important. This because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you propose and meaning." This sentence shows an accurate representation of many people's lives. I am no exception. It seems that the repetition of daily routines make life boring. We busy ourselves getting high scores, rankings and chasing celebrities but never achieve true happiness. We waste our life on such meaningless trifles that our feelings become shallow. When people face the end of their lives, they no longer have these trifles as a priority. On the contrary, it is only by sincerely caring about the people around us and devoting ourselves to helping someone in need that we can get true and unforgettable happiness. Besides, devoting ourselves to others also helps us to enrich our own lives and live lives of greater meaning.

Furthermore, the author also teaches us how to experience meaning; "Detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That's how you are able to leave it." These words make me think deeply. The reason why people feel pain, most of the time, comes from refusing confrontation and accepting their true emotions. It is because everything isn't perfect that life is so wonderful. When we suffer, we try to accept it. By doing this, we realize what love is and what pain is. After that, we should strive to get ourselves out of these paradigms without lettings these emotions weigh us down. The author also teaches us, "Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent." It is only after experiencing our emotions fully and completely that we can really know how have detachment.

Reading this book has caused me to review my life. We shouldn't waste our life on meaningless trifles. It is necessary to find a way to make spiritual growth. If we can cherish what we own and try to give forgiveness to the people around us, we will figure out the value of existence. This book has helped me realize that life always changes so that we never know what will happen in the next minute. It's helped to not be upset when things get out of control. We are alive, and that means we still have a lot of opportunities to make our life extraordinary.