A MEANINGFUL LIFE

Several days ago a NYT op-ed columnist wrote about the definition of a meaningful life.  Having been a reader of his column for many years, I was not surprised that David Brooks stressed community involvement and service as keys to achieving a sense of meaning, linking them to an adherence to a moral system, secular or religious.  He went on to say that meaningfulness is based totally on emotion and sentiment, and therefore cannot be defined.  As expected, the comments to the column offered a wide range of alternative opinions on the matter.

My reaction to the column was immediate; Brooks was dismissive of anything that cannot be confined within a set of prescribed and objective moral systems, showing little to no respect for the authenticity of the subjective individual human spirit.  There is no universal definition of what defines a meaningful life.  Everyone is capable of determining for them selves what gives their life meaning and purpose, and it may have nothing to do with any moral system or community involvement.  Serving others, or taking on the burden of a charitable cause may be the defining purpose for some, while others my find their meaning elsewhere: family, work, faith, art, literature, or almost anything one can think of. 

I have no idea how many people feel they are living a meaningful or purposeful life. Or for that matter, how many even think about the question.  I suspect that most people, at one time or another, think about their lives in these terms.  My work, medicine and art, have defined my life, giving it meaning and purpose.  I cannot imagine living any other way.