Questions about Questions What is the meaning of life? This question would seem to be the most basic and fundamental question to be asked concerning existence itself and has been asked by theologians, philosophers and much of humanity from time immemorial. Before we can approach this question, however, […]
Excellence Reporter: Andrew, what is the meaning of life? Andrew Mellen: I can tell you what it’s not—the accumulation and worship of physical stuff. So much of life seems to be a struggle between poles: fear and love, man-made and naturally occurring, stuff and people. I marvel at […]
The first thing that you have to figure out is your purpose in life. Once you discover your purpose, then the journey begins. As a little child, growing up on the tiny island of Molokai, I was always interested in Old Hawaiʻi. That included my culture, language, history, […]
When you are young you can be kind of full of yourself. Later, if you are lucky, you get to be full of others. ~John Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him “the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the […]
Excellence Reporter: Hari-kirtana das, what is the meaning of life? Hari-kirtana das: The meaning of life is to try to understand the highest truth. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the benefit of all. While illusion invites us to participate in a futile search for […]
Excellence Reporter: Melissa, what is the meaning of life? Melissa Coleman: The meaning of life is found in death. This is not a morbid statement. When we accept the fact that none of us are getting out of here alive, there is nothing to do but live and […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Yapko, what is the meaning of life? Michael Yapko: Most people know of the Rorschach Ink Blot test, the psychological test in which someone looks at a series of ink blots and describes what they “see” in them. It’s called a “projective test” because it features […]
Excellence Reporter: Jyoti, what is the meaning of life? Jyoti Subramanian: In the quest to look for a “meaning” for existence, we are constantly engaging with external stimulus. Depending on our idea of what will take us towards this ideal way of living to make us whole and […]
The purpose for human existence is the ongoing manifestation of ‘heaven on earth’. We are here to embody the purity of our galactic, cosmic, divine heritage in full relationship with earth and our lives as human beings together. ~Patricia Albere is at ground zero of an evolutionary stream […]
Only the men and women of a single culture write here of the meaning of life. It’s a culture seven billion strong, unified by access to a global system of interconnected computer networks. Many of these billions are unaware that we share the planet with hundreds of other […]
It’s never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale. We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehicles to get around. When we start […]
Mark Whitwell has done us a favor by summarizing in 108 pages the essence of his teaching. It is an easy and powerful read with good photographic instruction to be used in conjunction with the iPromise app. It is a tidy summary of his two previous works Yoga […]
I refuse to suppose that I am here on this Earth by happen chance. When I look at the miracle of my hands, when my ears capture the sound of rushing wind in its hollow, when I taste the salt of sea spray on my lips and smell […]
Everybody’s heard, because every tradition has them, the stories of the one who’s hungry for truth, usually a boy, who goes to ask the famous sage, usually a solitary old man, to tell him the meaning of life. The answer is never just around the corner. It’s always […]
Does anyone really know the answer to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I am going to imagine you are asking. You, yes you, the one reading these words. The purpose of life is to become utterly aware of the source of your life, of all […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Schaub, what is the meaning of life? Friedemann Schaub: When it comes to defining the meaning of life, most of us are either befuddled or try to avoid this topic altogether. There are some, who tell us, we should search for meaning by striving for success, making […]
You made a promise to yourself. You said you would feel it, find it, be it in this lifetime. Each of us seeks something – a seed inside waiting to blossom. It becomes your magnificence. It’s a recurring theme that comes up again and again. You call it […]
Excellence Reporter, what is the meaning of life? Tejpal: Meaning is an experience that comes from your heart not from your head. Your head does not experience anything but carries a lot of labels about everything. Your heart stays present in the moment and open. When you experience […]
Excellence Reporter: Ronda, what is the meaning of life? Ronda LaRue: I love this website project given to THE ONE ESSENTIAL QUESTION: “What is the meaning of life?” Fabulous. Thank you. Please yes! Ask this question. Ask it throughout your life. Better still, live inside the question; seed the question within […]
What is the meaning of an amusement park? ~Ted Riskin, transpersonal therapist. http://www.TedRiskin.com Copyright © 2016 Excellence Reporter
The meaning of life is to find meaning in life. We do that through the stories we tell. ~Gail Larsen is the founder of Real Speaking® and the award-winning author of Transformational Speaking: If You Want to Change the World, Tell a Better Story. Her work has been described […]
Excellence Reporter: Corinne, what is the meaning of life? Corinne Trang: “What is the meaning of life?” is a question with as many answers as there are people, religions, and philosophies, and the answers may change as we enter different conditions and stages of our lives. The controversial […]
Excellence Reporter: Steve, what is the meaning of life? Steve Taylor: To me, the meaning of life isn’t something which can be put into words – at least, not directly. The meaning of life is something that can be sensed, or not sensed. There are certain states of […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Rossner, what is the meaning of life? Marilyn Rossner: The purpose of life is to realize the Self. We have come to Earth to fulfill a divine mission and purpose. This can really occur as we understand the Divine Self. We are here on the […]
Excellence Reporter: Sophia, what is the meaning of life? Sophia Wise One: The part I love most about this question is that the answer is only as valuable as it is liberating. We could discuss this from many points of view, for instance a large concept place or […]
Excellence Reporter: Surya-Chandra, what is the meaning of life? Surya-Chandra Das: Life is a mystery to be lived in awe and wonder. Concepts and strategies such as “The meaning of Life” often keep us stuck in our mind and prevent us from living with awe and wonder in the fullness […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Vranich, what is the meaning of life? Belisa Vranich: I teach The Breathing Class. I teach people how to breathe, really breathe, owing to the fact that our ability to breathe has devolved to the point that it is anatomically incongruous and causes tsunami size […]
Excellence Reporter: J. Kim, what is the meaning of life? J. Kim Wright: I believe the Meaning of Life is not static; it is dynamic and active, being created in each moment. The Meaning of My Life is not the same as the meaning of Yours. My life […]
Excellence Reporter: Dave Markowitz, what is the meaning of life? Dave Markowitz: I once heard that life is empty and meaningless—and that it’s empty and meaningless that it’s empty and meaningless! While life may ultimately be meaningless, I do think there is a method to the madness. […]
Excellence Reporter: Anat, what is the meaning of life? Anat Baniel: I believe that the meaning of life is life itself – lived to its fullest, fulfilling on our deepest dreams while honoring our values, the best we can. As humans, to be fully alive and to fulfill on […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Pearl, what is the meaning of life? Eric Pearl: Ah, a question that has inspired contemplation and discussion throughout time. One of my favorite answers to this question was when Jennifer (Loni Anderson), a character on the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati was asked and her response was, […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Desai, what is the meaning of life? Kamini Desai: The body is like the wave of an ocean. It is one of the many millions of shapes the ocean of undifferentiated potential can morph into. Anything that lives and dies in time; whether a tree, […]
Excellence Reporter: Joe, what is the meaning of life? Joe Raiola: Had you asked my favorite philosopher, Alan Watts, “What is the meaning of life?” he would have struck a gong and said, “Let’s leave it at that.” But Alan is dead and, besides, you made the foolish […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Stevens, what is the meaning of life? Jose Luis Stevens: From my point of view, based on sixty eight years of life experience that includes working as a psychologist, writer, consultant, and teacher, and being a husband, father, and grampa, there most definitely is a […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Howe, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Linda Howe: The opportunity of our human experience is to awaken to our spiritual core, our essential goodness, and to live in the world, rooted in this awareness. Life can be difficult and messy, but the Light within […]
Excellence Reporter: Father Nigel, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Nigel Mumford: I can’t help it, I’m a Brit. When I hear that question my default is Monty Python. The very sacrilegious musical spoof by the same name. The moment the Grim reaper appears and proclaims, “I […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Rediger, what is the meaning of life? Jeffrey Rediger: The meaning of life is, I believe, to do what it takes to turn darkness into light. We are living during a very exciting time. Stepping back and looking at where we are as a human […]
Excellence Reporter: Jalaja, what is the meaning of life? Jalaja Bonheim: People often say that the meaning of life is to love or to be of service. While this is true, it’s a rather sloppy and somewhat misleading way of speaking. Life has no intrinsic meaning. An experience […]
Excellence Reporter: Yogi Dada, what is the meaning of life? Yogi Dada Gunamuktananda: I don’t know the answer to that question. Which really means I know the answer to that question. Because, as the saying goes, “He who thinks he knows, does not know. He who knows he does not know, […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Richo, what is the meaning of life? David Richo: The meaning of life for me is in this affirmation I recite each morning: I say Yes to everything that happens to me today as an opportunity to give and receive love without reserve. I am […]
Excellence Reporter: Amie, what is the meaning of life? Amie Valpone: In my opinion, the meaning of life is to learn what we are meant to share with the world. For me, it was 10 years of chronic illness that brought me to my knees to surrender and […]
Excellence Reporter: Robert, what is the meaning of life? Robert M. Place: On the surface the question; “What is the meaning of life?” does not make sense. When we ask for the meaning of a word or a symbol, we are asking for the thing that the word […]
Excellence Reporter: Gopi, what is the meaning of life? Gopi Kallayil: “To find our talents, and draw from them to live our highest potential, contribute to the world, and be of service to others. To treat our lives as a vehicle for our inner journey, self-discovery, and self-actualization.” […]
So I tend to get a lot of requests for interviews and such. Mostly because I’m a comedian who is fairly political, I get a lot of “Hey can you give us a few words on why XXXX is an idiot?” One look at my twitter feed you’ll […]
Excellence Reporter: Maya, what is the meaning of life? Maya Azucena: Before every concert I do a prayer: The prayer asks God to please bless the performance, and allow me to touch someone’s heart and move people. The summation of all my Life’s purpose is to help people. […]
Excellence Reporter: Nathan, what is the meaning of life? Nathan Aweau: My JOY comes from the relativity of the music that I write. When I receive emails from those who tell me that one particular song gave them peace from a lost in their life, or good memories […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Larson, what is the meaning of life? Theresa Larson: The meaning of life is living your life’s purpose and go into each day like it is your last. This means being present enough with yourself to actually know what your purpose is, treating yourself with respect, and treating […]
Excellence Reporter: Andrew, what is the meaning of life? Andrew Holecek: The meaning of life can be addressed from two perspectives: relative and absolute. From an absolute perspective, there is no meaning. Life is just the radiance, the shine, the divine play of heart-mind, or spirit. There is […]
The meaning of life is birth and death. A unity of opposites, perfectly coupled in each mysterious being. One hand writes and one erases / all these twins with different faces. ~Stuart Davis, Writer-Director-Actor-Comedian-Songwriter http://www.StuartDavis.com Copyright © 2016 Excellence Reporter
Excellence Reporter: Shilpa, what is the meaning of life? Shilpa Jain: What I have learned is that the meaning of life is to love and be loved — to be connected in the web of love — in every realm imaginable. In my work with change makers around […]
Excellence Reporter: Isaac, what is the meaning of life? Isaac Shapiro: In truth there is no meaning. Meaning is a mental filter. From a human perspective, to be embodied and express in a way that is beautiful to you and those around you, is the closest to a […]
Excellence Reporter: Shirley, what is the meaning of life? Shirley Plant: I wonder how many people actually ask themselves this question — what is the meaning of life? It’s a deep question, or is it? For some it’s a simple answer, for others more complex. Like life, I guess […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Goswami, what is the meaning of life? Amit Goswami: As our culture becomes materialist, there is widespread suspicion that there is no meaning. Fortunately, I and others are bringing about a worldview change based on quantum physics that restores meaning. It is our mind that […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Selhub, what is the meaning of life? Eva Selhub: “What is the meaning of life?” is always a wonderful question to ponder as it can make one go deeper into the recesses of the mind, body and spirit to find an answer. Thing is, there […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. van Manen, what is the meaning of life? Hans van Manen: “The question “What is the Meaning of Life” can only be answered at the end of one’s life. But I am still alive.” *** ~Hans van Manen is a Dutch ballet dancer, choreographer and photographer. His body […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Levin, what is the meaning of life? Jeff Levin: What is the meaning of life? That is the sort of question that brings to mind the stereotypical spiritual seeker trekking up a mountain in Tibet to enter a great temple and sit at the […]
If you can leave the world, more beautiful than you have found it… That is the meaning of life for me and I hope I can do as much as I can for this journey and to other to feel the same way. ~Manose Singh is bansuri flutist born […]
Excellence Reporter: JAC, what is the meaning of life? JAC Patrissi: Every profound truth is paradoxical. Also, I don’t think so. The meaning of life is that we are to learn how to become both Happy and Hard to Fool. You see, to be only Happy, floating in […]
Excellence Reporter: Will, what is the meaning of life? Will Clipman: That’s a question with no answer! I believe that what makes a lifetime meaningful, moment by moment, is to continue to ask the question. The more certain one is that one knows the meaning of life, the further […]
Excellence Reporter: Father Jim, what is the meaning of life? Jim Conlon: To understand the meaning of life, I believe it is important to develop a deeply sensitive interior life—a life that reaches simultaneously into the vast universe and into the recesses of the soul. Awakened in this way, […]
Excellence Reporter: Simon, what is the meaning of life? Simon Chokoisky: The meaning of life is… to live your dharma. Dharma is a word that means “natural law” – living according to your “design.” Many people have heard of karma but few understand this word dharma – and that’s a pity, because dharma erases karma. That is, […]
Excellence Reporter: Guy, what is the meaning of life? Guy Davis: This is a trick question… Anybody who says they can tell you is lying. The answer is different for each of us. It’s the kind of thing that a zen master asks his acolytes, when they come […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Moldow, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Deborah Moldow: We are the ceaseless unfolding of the sacred nature of our living universe, ever expanding the creative expression of the divine energy of love. It is our human nature to seek and create meaning, a […]
Excellence Reporter: Tom, what is the meaning of life? Tom Lynch: My answer is simple: find out what you are passionate about and develop yourself to your full potential. You may or may not need to have a career in this endeavour but get good at something and… […]
“When everything loses it’s meaning, every thing becomes meaningful.” This insight arises when the mind after intense spiritual seeking unhinges itself and opens into its natural infinite expanse. Now stripped of all interpretations and opinions that previously masked the raw experience of life, the truth lies bare and […]
Excellence Reporter: Tracy, what is the meaning of life? Tracy Silverman: To me, there is no meaning at all other than whatever subjective meaning we give our lives. If you seek out pleasure, then the meaning of life is to seek pleasure. If you like to work hard […]
How are we to see life? Is it an existence of meaningless movement from one moment to the next? Or is there a larger purpose in life, something to live for? When we’re young, we think that when we’re all grown up, we’ll have all the answers. We’ll […]
Excellence Reporter: Alicia, what is the meaning of life? Alicia Graf Mack: Life is about loving fully, and whole heartedly. We have to live in the NOW, because memory is never promised, nor is the future. Be good to people even when you don’t want to be. Forgive […]
Life is a bowl of soup. With little control over the quality of the ingredients-bits of beef, chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions and all that-we prepare it, eat it, drink and enjoy it. Satisfied, we sigh, stretch and burp. In the end we travel on up to add our […]
Excellence Reporter: Jena, what is the meaning of life? Jena la Flamme: Pleasure gives life meaning. The experience of pleasure doesn’t have to feel like something is happening, but it does feel like nothing is missing. It feels like fulfillment because it gives life meaning. Having pleasure in […]
The true meaning of life is living in the present, where happiness, freedom and inner peace live. These flow effortlessly once we learn to bask in the unlimited joy, kindness, compassion and inner peace we are all born with, in our wise hearts. But first, before we […]
Excellence Reporter: Annelise, what is the meaning of life? Annelise Hagen: Quite simply, the meaning of life is what you think it is. Yoga is a science. According to yogic wisdom, “As the mind, so the man. “ Of course, this applies to women as well. The power of the […]
Excellence Reporter: Andrea, what is the meaning of life? Andrea Becky Hanson: Life is a process of discovering that there is nothing we need that we do not already have. To do this we must learn to go within, spend time in nature, self inquiry and meditation, to […]
Excellence Reporter: Suzanne, what is the meaning of life? Suzanne Giesemann: The answer is simple: You as a soul have temporarily taken on human form to develop your divinity. God … Spirit … the Divine is Love, therefore you are here to be the presence of Love. Love is the […]
Excellence Reporter: Aïda, what is the meaning of life? Aïda Colmenero Dïaz: For me life is about to be. I want to find the best version of me every day. That´s why I dance..because I feel the freedom to expand myself, to be, to celebrate life and breathe. Stop […]
Excellence Reporter: Victoria, what is the meaning of life? Victoria Moran: I believe we’re here to know God, by whatever name you want to give the Great Beneficence. We do this by learning to love more exquisitely than we might have without this delicious experience of the physical […]
Excellence Reporter: Jonathan, what is the meaning of life? Jonathan Goldman: What a brilliant question. I’ve chosen 7 different answers, reflecting different aspects of consciousness—from the deeply spiritual to the more mundane—in order to attempt reply to it. Here are my answers. I trust you’ll enjoy them. 1) […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Finkelstein, what is the meaning of life? Michael Finkelstein: I’ve been consciously working on this question since I turned 10. I remember that exact day vividly, and though I wasn’t very old at the time, I began to wonder about our experience of mortality and […]
Excellence Reporter: Gregg, what is the meaning of life? Gregg Levoy: I don’t believe there’s a meaning of life—a singular meaning that applies to everyone. I only know the meaning of my life. And even that isn’t a singular entity. What life means to me is the privilege of having it to […]
Excellence Reporter: Peter, what is the meaning of life? Peter Mortimer: Is the crackle of a wood fire Is the spray of a peeled orange Is the radiator warmth of a stroked horse Is the tiny sock on the washing line Is the plop of a raindrop in […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Moore, what is the meaning of life? Kathleen Dean Moore: My thoughts about the meaning of life came to me as I sat in a canoe, listening to the music of a marsh at nightfall. I expressed those views in an essay, “The Testimony of […]
Excellence Reporter: Brandon, what is the meaning of life?” Brandon Bays: At the deepest level we all have access to an innate greatness, an infinitely healing and liberating force that can orchestrate our lives perfectly and magnificently. The difficulty most of us have accessing that greatness and living […]
Excellence Reporter: Keith, what is the meaning of life? Keith Mitchell: For me, I’ve learned the importance of growth and development and I have realized a different kind of education, an education that has allowed me an escape from separateness but has created a likeness. In this I have found […]
Excellence Reporter: Marla, what is the meaning of life? Marla Baggetta: Having spent my entire life as an artist, I’ve had the good fortune to pursue a career in art; painting, teaching and traveling. By conventional accounts I’ve been quite successful. But, I was beset by depression and […]
Excellence Reporter: George, what it the meaning of life? George Pitagorsky: Life, to me, is an opportunity to understand the nature of life and by doing so experience unconditioned happiness. It is essentially about seeing things as they are – wisdom, and being of service – compassion. The […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Sirois, what is the meaning of life? Maria Sirois: To become awake and aware of enough to find a way to love our lives, no matter how hard, and from that place of loving, return love through generous hearts, open minds, caring spirits. Rumi once […]
Excellence Reporter: Azim, what is the meaning of life? Azim Jamal: Life is vast, infinite, endless and incomparable. It continues to remain a mystery, a mystery that can only be experienced and not solved. So in my experience, the very meaning of life is in its living. When examined at […]
Excellence Reporter: Krissy, what is the meaning of life? Krissy Moehl: To me, the meaning of life is what I do to add meaning to life; to my life and to the lives I touch. I add meaning to life through interactions with close friends and family. Extended dinners […]
Excellence Reporter: Fr. David, what is the meaning of life? David Spangler: To me, there is no one single meaning but rather each person generates unique meaning born of his or her relationship to the world. For some, it may be learning a particular lesson, for some it may […]
Excellence Reporter: Mirabai, what is the meaning of life? Mirabai Starr: All I can do is share what gives my own life meaning, rather than proclaim the true meaning of life for all beings, as if it were some secret I agree to reveal. I bow to the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Ishiguro, what is the meaning of life? Hiroshi Ishiguro: The meaning of life is to look for what a human is. So, why are we surviving in this world? Because we want to know ourselves. You know, we are not surviving in this world because of […]
Excellence Reporter: Mada, what is the meaning of life? Mada Dalian: Life is multi-dimensional. So no answer will say it all or be fully satisfactory. We discover the meaning and mystery of life by living it. If we look at the very basic function of life we might […]
We are born beings exploring what life means as humans. The ego-mind continually seeks the meaning of life in the dimension of time and space, but we are also born with a divine potential that exists in the timeless zone. This is the true Self, the soul that […]
Excellence Reporter: Susan, what is the meaning of life? Susan Chapman: To me, this question opens our minds to further dimensions of ‘not knowing’ rather than to simple answers. But, like the smile on the face of a wisdom-elder, the process that unfolds from this inquiry can reveal […]
Excellence Reporter: Mark, what is the meaning of life? Mark Nepo: As important as this question is, it’s impossible to answer—as it’s impossible to see your hands while digging or to see your eyes while looking. Instead, let me share a story about meaning. A troubled widower made […]
The meaning of life is miracles within and all around us. Millions of life forms, all different, all beautiful, all creation. A mystery to be explored. To be celebrated. To be lived. In harmony. ~Mallika Dutt is a leading innovator in human rights, multimedia, and culture change. She […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Lomas, what is the meaning of life? Tim Lomas: Whenever I dwell on the question of the meaning of life, my thoughts feel like they’re becoming heavy and immobile, as if made of lead. Something about the question seems to resist any attempt to capture […]
Excellence Reporter: Jamie, what is the meaning of life? Jamie Cat Callan: The meaning of life is love. And the key to finding your path to love and your very own meaning to life is: to listen to the thrum of your own heart. Pay attention to what brings […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Brett, what is the meaning of life? Brett Bevell: The meaning of life is to understand your connection to the greater whole by being in service to life itself, not just your own life but the lives of others, even other beings that are sentient […]
Excellence Reporter: Danielle, what is the meaning of life? Danielle Fong: “Life is a dance of chemicals and information, energy and motion, that stretches across organism, kin, species, into the distant future and the ancient past.” *** ~Danielle Fong, The girl from the future Cofounder, Chief Science Officer and […]
