The Search for Meaning: Do We Find It or Create It?
About the event
The Search for Meaning: Do We Find It or Create It?
We often speak about having a meaningful life, but rarely stop to ask what meaning actually is. Is meaning something we discover through our experiences, relationships, work, and contributions to others, or something we create ourselves in a world that does not provide a predetermined purpose? Modern life gives us more freedom to choose how we live than ever before. Yet with that freedom comes a difficult question: if we are responsible for creating our own lives, where do we find the reasons that make those lives worth living? In this session, we will move past the usual question of “What is the meaning of life?” and explore how meaning is actually experienced and constructed in everyday life. We will explore how people develop a sense of purpose, what happens when previously meaningful things lose their significance, and whether a meaningful life necessarily has to be a happy or successful one.
Themes we will explore together:
• Whether meaning is something we discover or something we create • The role of relationships, work, responsibility, and personal experiences in creating meaning • Why some periods of life can feel meaningful while others feel empty or directionless • Whether meaning requires a larger purpose, or can simply come from the way we experience everyday life
This is an open space for sharing perspectives, questioning assumptions about what makes a life meaningful, and examining the different ways people construct purpose and significance in their lives. Bring your curiosity, your personal insights, and an openness to seeing meaning from different perspectives.
If your plans change, please update your RSVP to “Not going” so others can register. Thanks.
