What I have observed is that people who believe there is no meaning to life are often cynical and not very happy. They may be rich, powerful, and have a lot of toys, but they tend to live on the surface of life. In my opinion, people who find a meaning to their own lives are often peaceful, contented and often other centered. They tend to help other people and don’t always put themselves first. Some of the opinions on this topic surprised me. I didn’t expect all the “Hunter Thompson’” type of comments from the senior residents who live here. Hunter Thompson wanted to be all used up and go out of life skidding sidewise with a cigaret in one hand and a drink in the other. (He committed suicide with his wife on the phone.) I thought many people wandered around in their late teens and twenties trying everything out. Drinking, drugging, partying, etc., and then maybe as they got older they found the answers they were seeking and found a meaning to their lives. I guess not everyone asked those questions or found an answer that could offer them a more contented and serene life. As we age one hopes to become more spiritual and be comfortable in what you found. Then, maybe, we can offer some wisdom and experience to the younger people. They need us older people to show them that their work, ideas, fun, and purpose in life are not a waste of time, that they are more than some speck of nothingness in the universe, that their lives do have meaning.
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