It is a big question, yet the answer is surprisingly simple. If we strip everything down to its core and look at any action or situation without judgment, we see that meaning both exists and does not exist at the same time.
You and me
The one who assigns meaning, or doesn’t, is us. You and me. Whether this text makes sense on its own is debatable, but whether it makes sense to me is something entirely different. For some of you, it will resonate deeply, for others it won’t even be worth a click. It is the same with everything in life. In every moment, in every situation, we are the ones who choose whether something holds meaning or not.
The filters of the mind
When we engage with life by giving meaning, we learn from every experience. When we fully show up, we receive everything that experience has to offer. But when we close off and decide something has no meaning, we miss what lies beyond our comfort zone. This is how the mind works. Its filters are there to process the endless stream of information so we can function. Once our mental system is formed, it takes energy for new information to get in. That is one of the reasons change can feel difficult, even when we want it. It is simply easier to reject a new idea than to integrate it.
Not seenig, not hearing
At the same time, these filters often block information completely. That is why people sometimes don’t see or don’t hear what has been said to them. And why we can be genuinely surprised when something becomes obvious, even though it was always there. Like searching for your keys and suddenly finding them in a place you’ve already checked many times.
Stepping back
In the same way, the mind deletes, distorts, and generalises information it doesn’t see as important, or reshapes it to fit its existing system. The same happens with meaning itself. Whether we give or take away meaning is deeply personal and always changeable. But we only see this clearly when we step out of our own perspective.
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so simple, yet so overlooked. People rush around as if they need to achieve something beyond simply existing.” Alan Watts
Everything is already here
As Alan Watts said, the only meaning of life is that we are alive. In that alone, everything is already fulfilled. Everything else is an addition, something that colours the perfection of what already is. When we begin to relate to life from this place, we can soften, trust, and experience it more fully. Whether something makes sense or not, whether it feels good or bad, right or wrong, interesting or boring, all of it depends only on perspective. And that perspective is always ours to choose.
Author Ivana Song.
Coaching that moves you forward. Inspired by Song.
