Life: Is It All It’s Cracked up to Be?

On the last day of the year, 2013, I thought I would ponder, once again, that age-old question: “What is the meaning of life?”

What a crazy question that has been asked over the centuries since the beginning of time! There is no other question, I believe, that has been asked more. And, answers? There are probably as many answers to this question as there are thinkers, philosophers, and scientists who have asked it over the ages. It is a question that really has no direct, easy answer.

One such person who asked this question and contemplated the answer to it was Henry David Thoreau.

In the mid-1800s, Thoreau decided to ponder the meaning of life as he lived by himself in a small, one-room cabin in the woods with a nearby outhouse. He lived there for exactly two years, two months, and two days.

In this serene place, he thought, studied, meditated, and experimented, deeply pondering not only the meaning of life but also the question of why humans are always wanting more and seem to never be satisfied with what they have.

Alone and at peace, Henry David Thoreau became in tune with the Creator, the force that exists in all creation, the universal spirit, and intuition that resides in all people and which stimulates man to live (whatever you might call it). During this momentous time, he wrote his best work, Walden.

Thoreau discovered life is always seeking to expand, emerge, to grow. He also concluded what we dream about for our lives is not only that which is seeking to emerge from us, but it is nothing less than the creative force, the infinite Creator, or God (whatever your choice of words) that wants to manifest itself in our lives through our expression and creativity. Life, and the meaning thereof, is all there is.

The meaning of life is to adhere to the creative force within and express it outward. It is to allow the life force within to live.

Have you ever taken a walk and pondered the cracks in the pavement? How many times have you seen that tiny, soft green plant emerging from concrete? It has managed to grow through that thick material wanting to live, hasn’t it?  We are the same. Everything we do, the very reason we get out of bed in the morning is because life is seeking to emerge from us; life is seeking to have a fuller and freer and more expanding expression through us, all the time.  

We want more clothes, more money, more friends, a bigger house, a larger yard, a new profession, a new book to read, a special relationship, more freedom, more creative expression, more LIFE! We seek more life because we are expanding beings who MUST create and expand. It is not wrong to want more; it is actually normal and natural. Like the blade of grass that needs to break through the payment, we always need to break through to a fuller and more expansive life. And, this is where dreams come in. The life you would love to live is the life that is seeking to emerge from you.

How do you live your dream life?

The first step is to decide what your core values are and then start to imagine a life you would love that would encompass those values. You might value your time with your family, or you might value spending time by yourself reading to relax and recharge. You might value nature and prefer to spend an hour a day experiencing the outdoors. You might value health and prefer to eat healthy foods and exercise daily. You might value peace, love, or respect. Or, perhaps you value friendships and desire to spend time socializing more than spending time alone. Whatever it is that you value must be in line with whatever you desire for your dream life.

Once you know what your core values are, you then decide what it is you LOVE. What makes you smile, makes your eyes and body light up fully? What activity do you lose yourself in, that makes you wish time would stop at that very moment? Or, what do you daydream about doing and wish you could practice all day?  What do you know that is welling deep inside that needs to be shared with others? What passion do you have that you desire to share with the world? These are only beginning questions to ponder in starting to create a life of your dreams, the life that is seeking to emerge from you.

Henry David Thoreau truly believed the creative force within us is seeking to come forth and blossom into a greater and fuller life through us on this side of existence. Many other thinkers and philosophers have agreed with Thoreau and have lived magnificent and full lives of creative expression and true happiness. But before they were able to create truly fulfilling lives, they learned they needed to listen to their creative voices first. What is it that you feel and know in your spirit that wants to emerge in 2014? Whatever it is, there is never a better time than NOW to allow it to come forth.

Life. It really can be ALL that it is cracked up to be.