The Universal Search for Meaning
The question of life's meaning isn't a modern luxury—it's fundamental to being human. What philosophers discovered: meaning isn't something you find—it's something you create through how you live.
Aristotle: Eudaimonia
Aristotle argued that every person has a unique potential. The result of developing it is eudaimonia—often translated as "happiness" but better understood as "flourishing" or "living well."
The Aristotelian path: Identify your natural capacities and develop them through practice until they become virtues.
The Hindu Concept of Dharma
In Hindu philosophy, dharma refers to your unique duty or path in life. Krishna tells Arjuna: "It is better to perform one's own duty imperfectly than to perform another's duty perfectly."
Finding Your Dharma
Pay attention to what activities make you lose track of time, what problems you naturally want to solve, what you'd do even without external reward. These point toward your unique path.
The Stoic View
The Stoics believed we each have multiple roles—parent, citizen, professional, friend—and that purpose comes from fulfilling these roles virtuously. Focus on being excellent in your current roles. Purpose emerges from doing your duty well.
Practical Steps
- 1.Examine your life honestly. What do you actually spend time on? What do you truly care about?
- 2.Identify your natural capacities. What comes easily to you that others find difficult?
- 3.Look for intersection with need. Where do your capacities meet the world's needs?
- 4.Start small and iterate. Commit to something meaningful now and let purpose clarify through action.