1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: I got to tell them it's Harps. Happy day, Happy 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: day to you. I hope you're bloody terrific. Today we're 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: talking about the meaning of life, the meaning of life. 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: What a weird thing that is, What a weird idea? 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,959 Speaker 1: The meaning. Let's start with the the like, oh there's 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: only one, there's a meaning. It's not like the meanings. 7 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: No one ever says what are the meanings of life? 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: Like it? There might be more than one meaning. And 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: so I want to unpack this a little bit with you. Clearly, 10 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: I'm not going to give you a definitive answer, because 11 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,279 Speaker 1: you know why. And this is only my thinking. I 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: don't personally think there's a definitive answer, and I don't 13 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: think and this is just my thinking. And you have 14 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: to see if you're thinking kind of aligns or if 15 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: what I say sounds right or reasonable. But I'm going 16 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: to suggest a few things and you'll consider them, and 17 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: you'll discard them, or you'll maybe do something with them. 18 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: But I think that a lot of us believe that 19 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: there is a single meaning to life, especially when we 20 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: talk in a theological in a religious context, many people 21 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 1: believe there's a meaning to life. And it's pretty much 22 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: the same for all of us, and we all just 23 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: need to live that meaning. I don't know about that. 24 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: I don't agree with that. I don't think that the 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: meaning of my life is necessarily the same as the 26 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: meaning of your life. I also don't think not better, 27 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: not worse, but just individual. I also don't think there's 28 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: a single meaning. I think that the meaning of my 29 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: life when I'm twenty might not be identical to when 30 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: I'm thirty or forty, or fifty or sixty or seventy 31 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: or ten. Maybe it's something that evolves, Maybe it's something 32 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: that's fluid. Also, maybe it's not a single thing. Why 33 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: do then need to be a single meaning? Maybe part 34 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: of the meaning of my life, This is what I think. 35 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: I think the meaning of my life in part is 36 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: to serve and to teach and to coach and to 37 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: help other people explore and fulfill and optimize their potential. 38 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: I feel like that's part of the meaning of life. 39 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: I feel like part of the meaning of my life. 40 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: Perhaps we could interchange meaning with purpose. Who knows is 41 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: to is to be loving and compassionate and kind, And 42 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: I think part of that for me is a real 43 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: exercise in personal growth. For me, because I can be 44 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: not those things. I can be selfish and self centered. 45 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: And so I think part of the meaning of my 46 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: life in hopefully sharing love and kindness and support and 47 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: good stuff for the world and the people in my 48 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: immediate world, is one that so I am of value 49 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: and benefit to them, but also that I am being 50 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: tested and I am I am on my own journey 51 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: of discovery and growth and learning. So you know, I 52 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: personally don't align to the idea that there is a 53 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: meaning of life. I think the meaning of our life 54 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: can evolve over time. I don't even know why we 55 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: need to give we need to come up with this 56 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: single kind of explanation or banner that we drape over 57 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: the top of our life. I'm not sure that it's 58 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: even a good idea. Perhaps better than that is to 59 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: get clear about, which I've spoken about before, what are 60 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: the values of my life? In other words, what are 61 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: the values of me? What are my values? What are 62 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: the things that I believe in? What are the things 63 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: that are important to me? Because then that will probably 64 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: shape the meaning or slash purpose or slash direction of 65 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: my life. Like it's almost like this mystical, magical, mythical 66 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: thing that we need to go on some spiritual journey 67 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: and look under some spiritual rock or behind some spiritual 68 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: burning bush to discover the meaning of our life, and 69 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: then we will be enlightened, and then we will go 70 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: on to live that enlightened life. Yeah, I don't know. 71 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe what do I know? What do 72 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: you know? What do any of us know? What I 73 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: do know is there's fucking zero agreement on any of this. 74 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: You ask different religious groups, you'll get different answers to 75 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: the same question. Different spiritual groups. Ask philosophers, are psychologists, 76 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: Ask the stoics, Ask different teachers. You'll get nobody knows, 77 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: you know and so. And why nobody knows is because 78 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: there's no single universal answer. I don't think. I think 79 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: that you and I get dealt certain cards. We get. Okay, 80 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: here are your genetics, here's the environment you're born, and 81 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: here's the culture. Maybe here's the religion that you're born into. 82 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: This is the circumstance and situation. That's your mum, that's 83 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: your dad, that's your brothers and sisters. And then on 84 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 1: top of that you get to make a whole lot 85 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: of decisions and hopefully figure out for you who you are, 86 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: who you are at your core, what your beliefs, what 87 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: matters to you, what your values, who and how you 88 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: want to be. And then maybe once you get clarity 89 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: around that, then you can choose the meaning of your life. 90 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: There's an idea. Maybe the meaning of your life is 91 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: not predetermined. Maybe it's you determined. What if you get 92 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: to choose, Like you've got a brain. Even if we 93 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: believe in God, which you may or may not, but 94 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: if God gave us free will, or if we just 95 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: happen to have free will or whatever, surely you have 96 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: the capacity to think and choose and make decisions. You 97 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: have this incredible thing called your brain which allows you 98 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: to navigate life and to all the complexities and variables 99 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: of life. Why would you not get to choose the 100 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: meaning of your life? Oh no, No, you've got this 101 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: incredible brain. You can do all this incredible shit. You 102 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: can think for yourself, but you can't choose the meaning 103 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: of your life. That's done and dusted. You just need 104 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: to stumble into it, and let's hope you do, because 105 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: otherwise you're going to die one day and you will 106 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: have been just doing all this shit that wasn't what 107 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: you were meant to do because you didn't discover the 108 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: meaning of your life. Kind of fucking ridiculous, right, and 109 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: very limiting. And let's just say also, if you want 110 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: to be a little bit scientific, akat there's zero evidence 111 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: that there is a set meaning of life. Show me 112 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 1: the evidence there. It doesn't exist. So until we get 113 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: that evidence, why don't we go. You are in charge 114 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: of the meaning of your life. You get to choose 115 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: what your life will be about. You get to choose 116 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: your path and your purpose. You get to choose whether 117 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: or not there is a meaning or multiple meanings to 118 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: your life. If you are struggling, then, as I said 119 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: two a minute ago, too, what matters to me? And 120 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: I mean dig deep. I don't mean money, car house, Yes, 121 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: of course we need money, car house, We need stuff, 122 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: we need assets, we need to we need to live 123 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: and navigate the very commercial world that we live in. 124 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: Nothing wrong with making lots of money, nothing wrong with 125 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: all the fancy shit that we've spoken about before, of course, 126 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: But I don't think money is at the core of 127 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: your value system. When we think about the totality of 128 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: your life, of my life, of our lives, what are 129 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: the things that at the most fundamental core of me 130 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: being a human, me being a conscious creature, me being 131 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: a loving, kind, hopefully person that wants to build connection 132 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: and love and to belong and to love and be loved, 133 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: and all of those things what really matters. And so 134 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: when we get clear about those values, when we get 135 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: clear about what are my beliefs, what really matters to me, 136 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: then the challenge of finding the meaning of our life, 137 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: or perhaps choosing it becomes much easier. Take a break, 138 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: because that's what we do it about this time. We'll 139 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: be back in a mini with a question. And we're back, 140 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: of course we would be. So my question for you 141 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: today is what are you choosing for your life? What 142 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: are you choosing for your life? And see you tomorrow