Kitabı oku: «Create the best version of yourself», sayfa 2

So what is the meaning of life?

This question may arise in every person when he tries to understand the reasons for his existence.

And as a rule, the first thing that comes to mind is what he read somewhere, heard or saw on TV or the Internet. And most likely, this answer will suit him, but will not make him happier.

And if you think about it, why is there no unambiguous answer to this question, which would suit everyone and everyone would accept it as the absolute truth?

Well, let’s try to reason with you, if we approached this question from the point of view of logic, so that we would have succeeded.

So, what is the meaning of life?

In order to start our reasoning somewhere, I propose to draw our attention to something simple and understandable for us, but at the same time that would answer our question.

For example, let us ask a more understandable question: what is the meaning of an ant’s life?

I think the meaning of the ant’s life is to ensure a stable future for its colony. And that’s why he works hard. And they have no slackers. Everyone is busy doing their own thing. They have soldier ants, guard ants, worker ants and so on. They are all busy doing their own thing, but at the same time all their duties and their labor serve the same purpose – the survival of the colony.

And now let us speculate, what is the meaning of animal life?

I think that they have the same program as ants – survival and continuation of the species. They get food, reproduce and protect their territory.

Let’s think further.

What is the meaning of life in plants?

I think that plants, as well as animals, have one global task – survival. Through feeding and reproduction.

And it will be the same for fish and birds. So we can conclude that all creatures of nature have the same meaning of life – survival and continuation of the species.

And now let’s think, what is the meaning of life of primitive man?

I think, the same as all others – survival. Through food and the continuation of the species.

But there is one “BUT” that immediately caught my eye: “The survival of man is possible only at the cost of the lives of all others”. If the flora and fauna that exist on our earth did not exist, man would not be able to survive. Without plants, fish, birds and animals. Whereas the absence of man would only improve the living conditions of all creatures of nature.

This is an interesting thought that could be developed further, which could lead us to the question: is man a creature of nature? If his absence only improves nature… But now our thoughts are about something else.

So, what we get is that all of the above groups have the meaning of life – survival. Through food and reproduction. And if we look separately at survival as food extraction, we get an interesting picture: “Herbivorous animals eat plants, they, in turn, are eaten by predatory animals. And man eats them all.”

Man also uses natural resources to organize his life and livelihood – wood, coal, oil, metals, minerals, etc.

And if we now begin to reason about the meaning of life from the point of view of the above, it turns out that the meaning of life of animals and plants is to become food (resource) for humans. It sounds cruel, but based on this reasoning, it is so.

But let’s not stop and think further. Since everything is so organized, everyone is food for someone else, more predatory and stronger. For whom is the human being food in this chain?

Obviously, for microorganisms. But this applies not only to man, but to all living things on this earth. So we will not stop here. Let’s go further, let’s turn on rational thinking.

If we look at human life from the outside, we see that people create farms, raise livestock, create infrastructure in order not to have problems and interruptions with food and resource extraction. And obviously, that’s fine.

People have even invented aquariums and terrariums, where they create conditions close to natural, natural. To breed various fish and animals.

In all these cases, the person who created the farm, terrarium and the like, considers it his property. Including all the animals that live in it. And he can dispose of them as he pleases. He feels like he owns the animals. And he uses them for food and household needs.

And if we look at food from the point of view of a resource, we see that food is energy. And today it is the only source of energy for humans recognized by modern science.

Since that’s the case, let’s broaden our scope of analysis for a second and allow for the existence of other beings. Let’s assume that we’re not alone in the universe. Let’s say we were put here by someone. Let’s say that someone is watching us.

Then we get an interesting picture.

What if we are someone else’s property and our cities are like farms and cattle stalls? Maybe we’re a source of energy that someone else is also feeding on. Then it all fits. That explains why there’s a change of civilizations every 150 to 300 years. It’s just someone harvesting.

Yeah, that’s what inductive reasoning² leads to. New questions. But I think it’s time to stop there and get back to our meaning of life.

Ever since man began to think and complicate his life, the meaning of life for him as an individual began to change. Besides the basic meaning of survival, he began to search for more complex meanings. Because of this, new theories and hypotheses of existence began to appear. And this, in its turn, began to press on the human brain, and the meaning of life for him became only a form of thinking about his mortal existence.

And to beat all this crap out of my head, I suggest using such a concept.

Since the question of the continuation of the human race is not an urgent one right now. And you can easily manage to get food. You can choose your own meaning in life. I give you permission. Put aside all doubts and choose your meaning of life. Like finding your destiny and realizing your potential one hundred percent.

Why not?

I really like that idea. Imagine if everyone wanted to find their destiny and realize their potential one hundred percent. I think the world would look very different, in a good way.

Just think what a high standard of living we would have, and most importantly, people would have much higher qualities and skills. And overall, as a result, humanity would have evolved faster.

So if you don’t have your own clearly defined meaning of life yet, I suggest you use this one. At least, it will be a great base and support for building your life path. And at the same time it will allow you to set high goals and achieve them.

In addition, having specific goals, your life at least will not be boring. Agree that none of you would want to live a boring life, at least if you had a choice.

You know, it’s even too obvious to ignore, but we humans always want some kind of thrill. We always want a taste of struggle, of competition, of rivalry, of competition. We often take risks and often lose, and then we have problems, and we start to correct them with new strength. And by overcoming these problems, we kind of give ourselves an extra tick and feel proud that we managed to get out of the next problem.

So, in other words, I want to say that people tend to create problems for themselves in order to solve them later. A simple, measured and clear life is not interesting to them. I don’t know where we get it from, but it’s like a pain in the ass that keeps making itself known. We don’t sit still. And we seek our own adventures.

That’s the way the mind works, and it’s our everything. No wonder that in the spiritual practices of India the human mind is associated with a wild monkey that cannot sit still.

Perhaps that’s where all our troubles come from. Our minds are restless and unstable. Today we may wake up with the desire to conquer the universe, and tomorrow – with a feeling of fatigue and a desire to lie in bed a little longer and put things off for later.

And so it is with everything. Our perception of life is quite plastic and changeable, which, in turn, affects our choices at a particular time and place. And often our minds make the wrong decision, mistaking the temporary for the permanent.

Now it becomes obvious that the root of evil lies in our mind. Our mind is our gift and our curse. Sometimes it may seem to have a life of its own, like a wild mustang that has broken free. And it’s up to you and me to ride it. In other words – to tame him, to make him obedient and calm, so that he serves us as a loyal friend and stop showing us his wild character.

And now we can safely conclude that our problem with you and me has always lurked in our heads. In our minds. And in order to start a new life with a clean slate or to change something in your current life, the first priority will be to work with our mind. Namely with our beliefs, attitudes and rules, which we use automatically and on the basis of which we make decisions. Also we should not forget about our addictions and phobias. After all, all of these create certain kinds of limitations that constrain us and keep us from moving.

So right now I propose to do an audit of your mind. Do a complete audit of all of your settings. Disassemble and reassemble your beliefs. To get rid of unnecessary attachments and fears. To assemble, like a building block, the best version of yourself. Allowing yourself to become whoever you want to be and achieve the goals you dream of.

“What does it take to do that?” – you ask.

Be very attentive as you read the following chapters and start taking notes. The methodology I have developed will allow you to reassemble your mind and make it more organized and obedient. But for the effect to take hold, you will need to practice the techniques and recommendations I will give you. And most importantly, you need to want to change yourself and your life for the better.

Chapter 2. Basic concepts to pay attention to

First, you and I need to get the basics straight. We need to understand what lies on the surface. After all, without defining the basic concepts, we will not be able to reason about more complex things. In simple words, we need to create a knowledge base on the basis of which further reasoning will be built.

After all, each of us has our own view, our own opinion on every situation or event. I would like your view to be correct.

So let’s start with the general. There are basic things that you and I need to talk about. For example, about the world you and I live in. It is our environment and we need to know how we should live in that environment. What the rules of life are and how we can influence this world.

All of you and I live in a world that is filled with both good times and bad. We can face problems at any second. From the bad moments it can be illness, betrayal of friends, getting fired from a job and many more. From the good ones, we may get promoted at work, we may get a good monetary reward for our hard work or meet our other half and experience a feeling of love and care.

In short, our lives are multifaceted, just like our world. There are good and evil in it. At the junction of these contradictions, neutrality is born. And this neutrality is our modern world. Our reality.

There are laws and rules of behavior in our society. There are religions and various organizations with their own worldviews and statutes. Not to mention the customs and traditions of each nation.

This all leads us to the point where our choices are narrowed. A person is told how to behave in society, how to earn money, where and how to spend it, not to mention how and to what God to pray. After all, this is the law (customs, traditions, norm). That’s what everyone does, and that’s what you do. If you don’t do it the way everyone else does, you will have problems.

On the one hand, it is good, because in reality people are not born decent and conscious. They need to be taught, educated, controlled, guided. So that they themselves do not destroy their own lives and even more so someone else’s. And on the whole it is fair.

The word fairness is, at first glance, self-explanatory. And it seems to be very easy to be fair. But the problem is that justice can be interpreted in different ways. Each person can use arguments in his own favor and thus violate the fairness of another.

For example, many people think it is unfair that most of the money on our planet is concentrated in the hands of a small group of people. And they think it is unfair that in one country people starve and in another country people throw away excess food.

From this we can conclude that there is subjective fairness – it is different for everyone. And objective – when deeds are evaluated not by the interests of the parties, but by the basic moral principles of “good and evil”. That is why there was a need for courts, where the judge must establish objective fairness, relying on the laws of a given society.

But as you might have guessed, nowadays courts have become subjective, corruption and blackmail are the main weapons of powerful people. And now, people in whose hands there is power determine what is good and what is bad. Unfortunately, this is a fact and it must be recognized.

You know, we can talk for a long time about how hard it is for ordinary people to live in countries where corruption and lawlessness reign. How people are manipulated through the media. TV presenters and journalists brazenly lie and get good fees for it. How in underdeveloped countries children are stolen and sold into slavery or for organ transplants. We seem to be a civilized society, but for the most part we remain savages with spears. We have the same law as before: “He who is stronger is right”. And this strength is measured by power.

I am only telling you this to show you that there are laws and rules that were formed before we were born. And with them there are also the problems of society, which are more than a thousand years old. And our task is simply to accept these rules of the game. This will save us a lot of time. Because everyone who has tried to fight the system always ends up with nothing. And not even because they were weak, but because by defeating certain leaders of the system, they will be forced to become part of a new system that will eventually break them. Because the system holds on to the basic sins of society. And it is useless to fight them with methods of force. It is necessary either to learn how to manipulate them, or to raise a new generation, which will be much more moral and conscious. But this is already from the category of fantasy. So if you decide to become a politician, I can only sympathize with you, because it is difficult and unpopular to be a decent politician, and most likely you will become an ordinary corrupt “button-pusher”. However, I do not think that such people will read this book. Therefore, I will once again voice my thought: do not waste your precious time fighting the system. It will destroy itself, but it will not be for a long time.

Time

Time is exactly what we need to think about. It is the most valuable and irreplaceable resource that every human being possesses. Time is given to everyone. But the amount of this time is different for everyone. If we waste time on trifles, we will not have time to achieve our goals. And, accordingly, vice versa. Someone who wants to spend time watching TV shows must sacrifice his goals. And if one’s goal is to watch TV, then there is no problem. Actions coincide with goals.

That’s why there are always critics who, lying on the couch, criticize others and say that here they would have done it differently. Exactly the way it should be done. Funny, but how do they always know how things should be done? Maybe you can get the wisdom of the universe from TV? I don’t think so. In fact, they just know the fact of what happened and judge from an “if only” position. But the point is, you can’t know until you try.

The importance of time can be discussed at length, but since I value your time, I will try to highlight the most important things for you.

Let’s start with the most important thing, you must remember and always try to keep in your mind the thought: “You have the opportunity and the right to manage your time”. Only you decide what to spend it on. After all, time is your life. The interval between your birth and death.

The second thing you must remember. Time flows like a river. And just like a river, it has a direction of flow. But unlike a river, time cannot be stopped or its direction turned. You can sit in one place and do nothing, but it will continue to flow at its own speed and in its own direction.

The third thing is that you must make a rule: “You must plan your day and your life”. If you do not set goals and do not act according to a plan, you are like a leaf on a tree that has fallen into a river, you will float downstream, and there is no telling where you will end up. Learn to plan your daily routine based on your needs and goals.

Fourth, keep track of time. Put a clock in a prominent place. Have it on your desk at work, in the kitchen, and in your bedroom. Get in the habit of feeling the passage of time. Control your actions based on the time allotted in your plan.

Fifth, your plan should contain specific actions with the time allotted for a specific task. What a plan should be, I will talk about in the future. But the main condition is that the plan should be based on your goals.

You also need to teach yourself to value your time. After all, you will be constantly distracted by various trifles. Your family and relatives, your friends and acquaintances. No matter how much we love them, they will distract you with their conversations, requests and problems. You need to learn how to filter their requests. After all, you can spend the whole day talking to a friend, going shopping with your girlfriends and still not fulfill your plan for the day. Sure, we want to go out and socialize with friends at times. I’m not against that. But it also happens that we are in the mood for work, we are busy, and we get a call asking us to go for a walk or sit at a friend’s house. And at that moment we need to ask ourselves a question – is it worth it? What is important to me right now? To be there or to do my business? After all, no one will do your business for you. My point is that every choice has a price, and that price is time. Your time. So I urge you to value your time and not waste it.

And I also noticed one peculiarity: as we get older, we start to feel like time is speeding up. And the results of our actions show up quite quickly. If you are under 25, it may seem to you that you have your whole life ahead of you. You can plan, choose, do, then change your mind and choose again, then do again. And the result of your actions was usually waiting for you somewhere out there in the future. Even after we make mistakes, we feel like we still have plenty of time to correct those mistakes. After the age of 30, it becomes obvious that it is better not to waste time on rash and unnecessary actions. After all, we get the result of them almost immediately. And correcting mistakes takes too much time.

Information

What we also need to think about is the information that constantly surrounds us. Every day we are exposed to a huge flow of information. We watch the news, listen to the radio, read newspapers and news feeds. We communicate with our friends and coworkers. Sometimes we empathize and take things personally. And all this information accumulates and affects our mood.

Unfortunately, most of the information is negative, because there is a lot of it. The news is always talking about crimes, disasters and people’s misfortunes. In addition, our friends complain to us about their problems. And whether we like it or not, we absorb this information. And our mood automatically changes. And with it, our perception of the events around us changes.

I’m telling you this because it’s important. Information affects our mood and outlook. We need to learn how to filter the information that comes to us. Create a filter that it must pass through before we can react to it.

I suggest making a rule. You don’t make a specific decision or draw a conclusion until you have tested the information for truth, importance, and usefulness.

If the information is obviously false, why would you take it into account and react to it in any way. And if there is no way to verify it, then take it neutrally. You can give it the status of “unverified information”. This way you will protect yourself from possible wrong decisions and actions.

If the information is very important and you need to react to it as quickly as possible, and there is no time to check it, then you should be guided by common sense and principles that you have. After all, in such stressful situations, you can be told how to act, and if you make a mistake, you will regret later that you listened to someone else.

The usefulness of information is an important criterion. If the information is not useful to you and your family, why think about it and take it personally. For example, if your friends tell you about political conspiracies and the fact that we are ruled by secret societies, or about how the main character of a TV series cheated on his wife and ten episodes later it turned out that he had a child by a servant, and so on… This can all be interesting at first glance, of course, but trust me, it’s a waste of time. They will try to involve you in these arguments to prove their point. Your head will be occupied with thoughts that will do you no good. They will only steal your precious time for meaningless arguments.

We must choose what to pay attention to. Based on this choice, we form our picture of the world and our relationship with it.