by Dr Sabzar Ahmad Bhat
For those who believe in God, life becomes an act of trust and devotion. Rumi wrote of a spiritual stillness in which the soul, resting in the grass, finds the world too full for words. Faith can steady a person during times of crisis, offering a calm that is otherwise elusive. Islamic thought holds that life in this world is a test, with the real life existing beyond it.
Is life merely a pursuit of employment, wealth, and recognition? Increasingly, many appear to believe so. Success is frequently defined by financial gain, social standing, or individual accomplishment. Yet such a view narrows life to material acquisition. Life possesses greater depth. It requires clarity of purpose, personal growth, meaningful relationships, service to others, and commitment to justice and truth.
A life devoid of purpose often feels hollow. Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, observed in Man’s Search for Meaning that existence becomes unbearable not because of circumstance but due to the absence of meaning. With a reason to live, human beings can withstand almost anything. Purpose lends direction to our lives. Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher, wrote that man is nothing other than what he makes of himself, implying that meaning is not inherited but forged through deliberate action. Purpose must be constructed, not awaited.
Each day offers the possibility of reflection and improvement. Socrates’s assertion that an unexamined life is not worth living remains urgent. Honest self-reflection fosters moral development. Rather than measuring oneself against others, Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson recommends in 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos that individuals compare themselves to who they were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. In this way, growth is anchored in internal progress rather than external competition.
Matt Haig, in Notes on a Nervous Planet, cautions against the emotional hazards of comparison and imagined alternatives. He writes:
“Do not compare your actual self to a hypothetical self. Do not drown in a sea of ‘what ifs.’ Do not clutter your mind by imagining other versions of you, in parallel universes, where you made different decisions. The internet age encourages choice and comparison, but do not do this to yourself. ‘Comparison is the thief of joy,’ said Theodore Roosevelt. You are you. The past is the past. The only way to make a better life is from inside the present. To focus on regret does nothing but turn that very present into another thing you will wish you did differently. Accept your own reality. Be human enough to make mistakes. Be human enough not to dread the future. Be human enough to be, well, enough.”
Growth and contentment arise not through comparison but through deliberate self-acceptance and steady, conscious effort to improve.
At its core, life is an act of love, both in giving and receiving it. Love brings depth to our relationships, whether with family, friends, or the world around us. As Leo Tolstoy reflected, everything he understood, he understood through love. Yet life also requires a sense of enjoyment, a recognition of joy and the beauty of simple moments. This enjoyment is not indulgence; it is an affirmation of existence. Rumi encouraged a shedding of burdens and an embrace of the self, urging one to be like a tree and let the dead leaves fall, to feel the warmth of the soul’s own sunlight. To love deeply and to live with joy are forms of gratitude that shape a life of meaning.
Life cannot be reduced to a series of accomplishments. It must also include connection, compassion, and care. Viktor Frankl believed that salvation lies in love and through love. In moments of adversity, love sustains. Khalil Gibran made a distinction between the gift of possessions and the gift of the self, insisting that true giving comes through presence and care. When people offer their time and attention rather than material goods, they cultivate the bonds that bring meaning to existence.
A life of meaning also demands a confrontation with injustice. Real courage lies in standing up for those without a voice. Frantz Fanon, in Black Skin, White Masks, described humanity as both an affirmation and a refusal—affirmation of life, love, and generosity, and refusal of degradation, exploitation, and the erosion of freedom. His view stresses the importance of moral resistance. Malcolm X warned that without a willingness to fight for it, the word “freedom” should not be spoken. Dignity and liberty are not gifts; they are achieved through persistence and sacrifice. Remaining silent in the face of oppression is a betrayal of human solidarity.
A life lived solely for oneself leads only to solitude. Fulfilment emerges from service. Albert Schweitzer believed that true happiness belongs to those who have discovered how to serve. Martin Luther King Jr. asked what he called life’s most persistent and urgent question: what are you doing for others? It is through service that one finds meaning, forming ties that extend beyond the self.
For those who believe in God, life becomes an act of trust and devotion. Rumi wrote of a spiritual stillness in which the soul, resting in the grass, finds the world too full for words. Faith can steady a person during times of crisis, offering a calm that is otherwise elusive. Islamic thought holds that life in this world is a test, with the real life existing beyond it. In Hindu philosophy, the realisation that the self is divine, Atman is Brahman, captures a similar notion. The spiritual life invites reflection not on status or success, but on the eternal.
Life is not defined by wealth, influence, or public recognition. Its meaning is rooted in purpose, growth, love, joy, compassion, justice, service, forgiveness, and faith. A life lived with these values becomes one that serves others, defends truth, and aspires to something greater. What endures is not what one possessed, but how one lived and whom one uplifted. Life is brief. Its worth lies in how earnestly one chooses to do what is right each day.
(The author is a lecturer in political science at Government Degree College, Ganderbal, Kashmir. Ideas are personal.)
