The Feeling of Emptiness

Why do you feel so hopeless that your life seems empty? I have heard these expressions so often that I am amazed at its frequency in today’s generation. I am bored and don’t like what I am doing. It’s the same again, my job, my relationship all seems so lifeless. I wish to die. What is this life? Statements of helplessness, devoid of natural passion and a self threatening situation, dangerous is it not?

An adage, Life is for living, so powerful and commonly passed down generations as a holy truth that now seems so far removed from reality that no one really has the inclination nor the time to reason its real meaning. Do we want to live for life’s sake or do we want our life to live at its best. In reality how many of us do really take life as a game and play by its rules. In India we have a brand of cigarette called Four Square Kings whose advertisement caption reads ‘Live Life King Size’. Everyone agrees to this notion but do we really know the meaning of living a life to its maximum.

Everyone eagerly agrees and than their economic quotients takes stock of their lives and they are back to the same old feelings. I agree, life in today’s world is not easy, but who says that it was ever easy. From time immemorial, from the dawn of mankind, life has thrown up so many challenges that it has never been easier for anyone, be they rich or poor. Living a life to the fullest has nothing to do with your economic status. Economic status can get you various alternatives that can make your life at best easier, but cannot on its own merit provide you with any sense of fulfillment unless we ourselves learn to understand life.

Theories upon theories have been purported by many on what life is all about, but has anyone really applied these to their own values and judgment and realized what we are and what we should do, to be able to feel the fullness of life, a satisfaction in our selves.

Living is beyond what one theorizes that a life begun has to live. That is but physical growth leading to death. Living has much more to do than the passage called life. Living requires us to be involved in activities that bring to our mind many facets of the same aspect. We must make our living a continuous learning. I don’t use the word process, as process is very linear and life in its natural state is quite chaotic. It is this chaos that lends a charm, an uncertainty that leaves a lot to be learnt. Learning? Because acquiring knowledge keeps our mind captivated and stimulated to know beyond what we seem to know. When we are able to pursue a few alternatives beyond our regular scope of occupation, we tend to relate to living more comfortably.

Nature has given the most precious needs on which our life depends for free, than why do we really rant and rave at possessions on which our life does not depend upon. In our pursuit of material gains we seem to have forgotten to smile, to laugh and to appreciate the others point of view. In an unnatural environment which we have created and surrounded ourselves, we rarely have time to appreciate anything apart from me, myself and mine. It is this strange smallness that creates emptiness, devoid of any happiness or appreciation for self or for others.

Yes, it is true; we have to “Keep up with the Jones’, but how many Jones, will we push ourselves against and try to keep up with? That is an economic generalization and will not make our lives any meaningful or satisfactory. Knowledge is a must but the curiosity to know is even more important. We all go to school, to colleges and universities, but the learning process does not end there, it is expected to continue till the end. All knowledge is not for the pursuit of economic means but for being able to appreciate the world we live in and the limitless potentialities that this world has in store.

The following tips are some of the few that you may consider to make your life more interesting and thereby remove the emptiness that you feel.

Acquire a child like curiosity about life
Pursue a hobby and try and learn as much as possible about it
Spend your free time in community development without any expectations.
Take interest in other people and their happiness, howsoever small
Smile and see how infectious it really is and how many people will open their hearts to you
Be charitable in your speech and actions
Engage yourself in bettering your knowledge in fine arts or other related fields
Play a game for the sake of the game and not for winning
When wrong, apologize honestly
Look at the sky and see its limitless expanse and potential
See the dawn and the dusk and appreciate how naturally the world around us wakens and goes to sleep
Appreciate nature
Go to sleep with a wondering of what you could do if you do wake up again
Believe in the Almighty
Say a prayer with your heart in it

And finally and most importantly, you live life once, live it to its brim.

It is by no means difficult nor by any standards easy to change your thought process that has been long set, however, you can attain, all the above points plus more, that you too can develop, thereby enriching your living to match up with the life so graciously won by you. If you are wondering when did you win this life, think of the process of birth and the odds in the fertilization chain. I really don’t think you will ever have this odds piled against you in life, so why don’t you really appreciate your life as something so special that you will want all of what the world can offer without any economic desires, just for a change. A spiritual and natural appreciation is all the more consummating than any economic standards can ever bring forth. Make your life more engaging and you will have lived this life without the emptiness. A life lived King Size.