What really matters at the end of life ?
Life could be easier. Why do we make it so hard? Maybe it's the fact that we don't have enough time to be with ourselves, understand ourselves and at some point figure out what do we want from life. Simplicity could become a key factor in life, because happiness is not about complicating things.
There is a you-shaped hole in the universe and that alone should motivate each and every one of us to live our life to the fullest. The gift of life and its majesty should be exalted by the presence of death itself.
Dance your way to heaven..
"Aging and dying can become a process of crescendo all the way to the end" ,BJ Miller.
All we should do is to adopt a mindset of adaptive liberation because of death so that we let death be what takes us and not what makes us.
Surveys have shown that the majority of young people stated that 50 % of them long to be rich and 80% of them long to be famous. It's crazy to put all that much time, energy and hard work to find a job that just has high status or secures a fat wallet without making you happy. We should question ourselves regardless our age as if we were still teenagers the following questions :
Happiness is the aim
It is very important to realize that all these questions specify our life purpose in a simple way, but what is even more remarkable is that only two of those 5 questions concern ourselves. So maybe our happiness lies not in what we are but in what we give! We got 80.000 hours approximately in our working life , we should make them count!
It's not only about just following our passion and caring about our individuality like many life coaches have been saying for years now. It's about doing something valuable that affects the society in a positive way. Maybe by doing what's valuable we will find our passion and we will reach career satisfaction.
From birth to death, a link to the stars..
a) You are a billionaire CEO that struggled and worked really hard all his life with little to no happiness, two houses and a private jet wondering if life was worth it.
b) You are a satisfied social worker that helped children with mental disorders,contributed to your local charity and changed the life of more than 100 people.
" A man's true wealth is the good he does for the world and altruism is something that he will never regret", Benjamin Todd.
To give is to share..
Past ---------------------------------------------> Now ---------------------------------------> Future
Follow parents ----------- > Follow money --------------> Follow passion -----------> Help others
It takes a really strong individual to help others in today's society though and I explained it thoroughly at this past post :
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@zangmore/ethics-crisis-vs-capitalism-it-isn-t-easy-to-be-a-good-mannered-altruist.
To make matters short it is essential to be yourself in order to help others in a good way. But this is not as simple as it sounds because on the way you may lose yourself or your path for various reasons. Your first and biggest enemy is yourself and your ego. Ego is a double edged sword and it leads either to superiority complex or inferiority complex. In the first case someone may be blinded by success and in the second case someone may underestimate his worth and contribution to the community.
So Bee it!
The art of being yourself requires interiority and equilibrium.
Interiority comes from humility and equilibrium from the absence of ego.
Both these factors counter superiority and inferiority complex.
Humility doesn't mean to think less of yourself but to think yourself less.
Ego is like the weather and equilibrium is like the sky, the difference lies upon the change of weather and just being no matter the circumstances.
Equilibrium is not looking for reassurance but being perception free while avoiding addiction approval. We should shine, glow and reach others with our smile, because when we are ourselves we are fabulous. Like the old eccentric geezers that are more honest, less composing but meanwhile more authentic.It's not about life expectancy but what do we expect of life..
"My life is my message", Ghandi.
Let the memory of you be your identity..
So the stability of our happiness is at risk if it depends on a list of external conditions.
It's all about the quality of our relationships. Good relationships keep us happier and healthier, protect our bodies and our brains and sharpen our memory. Loneliness on the other hand magnifies both emotional & physical pain.
Even though there is necessary suffering in life, healing is always possible and it happens with compassion. Suffering together and helping each other belittles the problems.
Hey, you!
Out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall.
Can you help me?
We shouldn't criticize, condemn or complain to our loved ones all the time..
We should admit quickly and emphatically if we are wrong..
We should detect the mood swings of others by noticing differences in behavior through mutual interaction.
We should charm and not force our way into others hearts.
We should overall change our perspective towards life & death.
Unfortunately Hospitals tend to be diseased centered rather than people centered and that often assaults the senses of the patients. The closer someone is to death the more numb he feels and the only thing that he needs is comfort so that he can feel unburdened and relieved again.
Be careful not to lose direction..
That's why a smile to the cheek from the child to the grandparent is priceless...
That's why a last cigarette of a man that has lung cancer is alleviating pain..
That's why everything that is risky and crazy for a dying man is just exactly what he should have in his bucket list..
Sources :
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Robert Waldinger
What really matters at the end of life | BJ Miller
Happiness is all in your mind: Gen Kelsang Nyema at TEDxGreenville 2014
How to know your life purpose in 5 minutes | Adam Leipzig | TEDxMalibu
To find work you love, don't follow your passion | Benjamin Todd | TEDxYouth@Tallinn
The art of being yourself | Caroline McHugh | TEDxMiltonKeynesWomen
The neuroscience of social intelligence: Bill von Hippel at TEDxUQ 2014
Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard? | Jon Jandai | TEDxDoiSuthep
Αλλο ενα πολυ καλο ποστ! για μενα ειναι πολυ απλη η απαντηση, η τουλαχιστον ετσι πιστευω. Ειναι να ζω με ολο κ λιγοτερα concerns κανοντας πραγματα εντος των οριων της ηθικης, ζωντας στιγμες με προσωπα που αγαπω κ εκτιμω και προσπαθωντας οσο μπορω να κανω τον κοσμο καλυτερο. τωρα κατα ποσο οσα λεω συμβαινουν κ σε τι βαθμο για τον καθενα μας αυτο ειναι αλλη κουβεντα
Χεχεχε.. Και τι είναι ηθικό και τι δεν είναι ;
και προσπαθωντας να κανω τον κοσμο καλυτερο, μηπως γινεται χειροτερος? :p
Hmm... There is a lot of content to this post - I've read it twice and I'm still chewing through it. I understand you are looking at the factors affecting the quality of a person's life and the satisfaction they feel at the end, as they reach reflection (please tell me if I have it wrong). For each person I believe these factors to be different, and they change as you travel along on this journey. Excellent topic and well covered. Thank you for discussing this :)
Exactly the post is about happiness in the long run...
to #tag steem den voithaei. kalytera na eixes writing kai stin thesi tou steemit philpsophy isws.
Allright to allaksa
Cool! I follow you. +upvote