12 Philosophical Truths for a Meaningful Life

How do you lead a meaningful life? What does that even mean?

Living a meaningful life is a life that is set up in such a way that you are fulfilled and content.

It is a life that you are proud of and that you are happy to have. It is a life that you feel good about.

However, many people struggle to live a meaningful life. They struggle to build a life that is in line with their values and that brings them joy.

They struggle to find meaning in their lives.

If you are one of these people, I have some good news for you. You can build a meaningful life. You can give your life meaning and create a life that you are proud of.

In this post, I am going to share 12 philosophical truths that will help you build a meaningful life and find meaning in your life.

1. You are the author of your life.

This is the most important truth of all. You are in control of your life. You may not be able to control what happens to you, but you can always control your response.

You are the one who gets to decide what kind of person you are going to be.

In the words of the philosopher, Epictetus, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

” You are the one who gets to decide what your beliefs are, what kind of person you are going to be, and what your life is going to stand for.

2. You are not your thoughts.

Your thoughts are the product of a complex system that includes your personal experiences, culture, and genetics.

You did not choose these factors, and they are not the essence of who you are.

In fact, you have very little control over the thoughts that pop into your mind. The only thing you have complete control over is your reaction to your thoughts.

You can choose to engage with them, or you can choose to let them go.

This is a powerful idea. It means that you can choose to reject thoughts that do not serve you. You can choose to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

You can choose to create the life you want to live, regardless of the thoughts that pop into your mind.

3. You have to let go to move on.

Life is about change. It’s about growth. It’s about learning, and it’s about the journey.

We can’t move on to the next chapter if we keep re-reading the last one.

We have to accept that things change, and we have to let go of the things that are no longer meant for us.

This could be a job, a relationship, a friendship, or even a part of our identity.

You have to let go to move on. It’s as simple as that.

4. You are not your circumstances.

You are not your bank account, your weight, or even your health. You are not your successes or your failures. You are not your job title or your salary.

You are not your relationship status, your age, or the color of your skin. You are not your past, your present, or your future.

You are not your circumstances. You are who you are, and you are worthy of love, respect, and dignity simply because you are.

You are a human being, and that is enough.

5. You are perfectly imperfect.

In nature, there is no such thing as perfect. The natural world is a place of chaos and randomness, where the only constant is change.

And yet, it is within this chaos that we find the most beautiful and wondrous things.

The same is true of us. We are not perfect, and we never will be. But that doesn’t mean we are not beautiful and wondrous in our own right.

We are perfectly imperfect, and it is within our imperfections that we find our true beauty.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to be perfect to be loved, to be happy, or to be successful. You are already all of those things, just as you are.

6. You have to believe it to see it.

We’re conditioned to think that we have to see it to believe it. But the most powerful forces in the universe are invisible.

Love, for example, is an emotion that can’t be seen, yet it has the power to change people and the world.

The same goes for our beliefs. We have to believe in our dreams and goals before we can see them come to fruition.

We have to believe in ourselves before we can accomplish anything. Our beliefs are the foundation for everything we create in our lives.

7. You are not your ego.

The ego is the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.

It’s the part of you that wants to look good, be right, and avoid looking bad.

The ego is a survival mechanism that can lead to some unhealthy ways of living and relating to others.

It’s important to acknowledge that the ego is a part of you, but it is not all of you.

The ego is not the master of your life; it’s the servant. When we allow the ego to be the master, we suffer.

One way to keep the ego in check is to practice humility. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.

It’s about being open-minded and curious and being willing to learn from others.

When you practice humility, you can be more present and engaged with others because you’re not so worried about how you look or what others think.

8. You are not separate from the universe.

Albert Einstein once said, “A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space.

He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings, as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.”

This is the root of the human condition. We think we are separate from the rest of the universe, and it’s this delusion that causes so much of our suffering.

When we see ourselves as separate, we feel more alone, more vulnerable, and more adrift.

When we realize that we are part of something much larger, we feel more connected, more protected, and more grounded.

The truth is, you are not separate from the universe. You are an integral part of it, and it is an integral part of you.

9. You have to start from where you are.

No matter how many things you wish were different about your life, you can only start from where you are.

This might be the most obvious truth on this list, but it’s also one of the most important.

We spend so much time wishing we were in a different place in our lives that we forget to look around and appreciate where we are.

Many of us have so many options and opportunities that we become paralyzed with indecision.

It’s important to remember that you can always change your direction, but you can’t change where you are. So, make the most of it.

10. You are the meaning you seek.

The search for meaning is, in part, the search for oneself.

As you seek to understand your place in the world, you are defining what the world means to you.

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

In other words, if you have a sense of purpose, you can handle almost anything life throws at you. If you don’t, life can feel chaotic and meaningless.

The question of who you are and what matters to you is a lifelong inquiry that shapes your sense of purpose.

11. You have to let go of the need to know why.

We want to know why we’re here, why people do what they do, and why bad things happen.

And sometimes we get to know the answers to those questions, but a lot of the time, we don’t.

What we do have control over is how we respond to the things we can’t explain, predict, or understand. Sometimes we have to let go of the need to know why.

This is difficult because our brains are wired to seek out meaning and understanding.

But sometimes things just are. You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out why your partner broke up with you,

why someone you love got a terminal illness, or why you didn’t get the job.

And in the process, you might miss out on the life you’re meant to live.

12. You are not your body.

It’s easy to identify with your body. After all, it’s the vehicle through which you experience the world and the means by which you engage in action.

However, you are not your body. You are the consciousness that is observing your body. You are the awareness that is having the experience.

Your body is a biological system that is designed to keep you alive. It is not designed to make you happy.

It is not designed to make you sad. It is not designed to make you suffer. It is simply designed to keep you alive.

And it does so by responding to the environment in which it finds itself.

Your body is a vehicle, and like any vehicle, it has its limitations. It has its strengths and weaknesses. It has its ups and downs.

It has its wear and tear. But you are not your body. You are the consciousness that is observing your body.

You are the awareness that is having the experience.

When you realize that you are not your body, you can begin to take better care of it. You can begin to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves.

You can begin to nourish it with healthy food, exercise, and rest. You can begin to heal it when it is sick.

You can begin to comfort it when it is in pain. And you can begin to let go of it when it is time to move on.

Conclusion

The biggest philosophical truth of all is that you are in control of your own life. No one else can live your life for you, and no one else can give your life meaning. You are the only person who can do that.

Find your passion. Follow your dreams. Be kind to others. Grasp the opportunities that come your way. And remember that the most important thing in life is to live it to the fullest.