What truly destroys a person is... not power… not money… not failure… not even pain. A person can live even with pain. But there is one thing he cannot endure, a meaningless life. Pain does not kill a person… it is the lack of meaning in that pain that empties him from within.
Once, life was part of a larger story. God existed. There was a reason for birth. There was another journey after death. Good and evil had a stable meaning. That is why even when pain came, it never felt completely empty. A mother sacrifices, love has meaning. A soldier dies, duty has meaning. An artist creates in poverty, creation has meaning.
But logic increased. Science advanced. Man said, “I don’t need God.” From there, a void began. We removed God… but we also removed the meaning He gave. Now we have technology. We have comfort. We have entertainment. But one question remains empty: “Why am I living?”
Suppose two people are doing the same job. One has meaning behind his work. The other feels, “I’m just doing this to survive.” The work is the same. The exhaustion is the same. But the second person gets tired first. Why? Not because of the work… but because of the lack of meaning.
In this state, a person chooses one of three paths.
The first, sitting in comfort. A small job, small dreams, small happiness. No deep questions. No risks. Happiness means absence of pain. From outside, it looks like peace. But inside, the desire to grow slowly dies.
The second, questioning old values. Destroying everything. Saying, “These are lies.” But if he does not build new meaning, he falls into anger, dissatisfaction, and the feeling that “nothing matters.”
The third, the most difficult path. Self-transcendence. Surpassing yesterday’s version of yourself today. Instead of running from your weakness, turning it into strength. Not waiting for someone else to give meaning to your life, but constructing your own meaning.
Suppose a student fails. One falls into depression. Another becomes angry at the system. But the third asks, “What is my flaw? How do I correct it?” That is growth.
In the Gita, Arjuna was disturbed before the war. He asked, “Why should I fight?” That was the moment he lost meaning. But what Krishna said was, your meaning lies in your swadharma (your own duty). Escaping is not peace. Clarity comes only by facing your pain and accepting your duty.
Finally, a big question. If your life repeats exactly like this again and again, the same pain, the same mistakes, the same joys, would you say yes to it? If it feels like “This is punishment,” then your life is not your choice. If you can say, “Yes… this is my life. The result of my decisions,” then you have taken responsibility for your life.
This era does not kill a person suddenly. First, it kills the question, “Why am I living?” Keeping that question alive is in your hands.
Before you... There are three paths…
Sit in comfort and slowly become empty…
Or remain angry at the system…
Or prepare yourself to build your own meaning.
Whether God exists or not, set that aside. First, you must prepare yourself. Whether there is meaning or not, you must do your duty.
No one will decide for you. No one will write meaning for your life. You must choose. You must endure.
As said at the Gita, Yathecchasi Tatha Kuru…
Live as you wish. Choose as you like. But the result will come to you alone. Whether it is good… bad… or something else… the responsibility is yours.
Because in the end, your life means your decision, your will, your choice, your behavior.
If you believe God exists, then 80% is His… but 20% He left to you… to shape your future.
Whatever it may be… do your duty as much as you can.
...From Teachings of... Master Raghu Raama, Santhi Dhaam, Kuchinapudi, Andhra Pradesh (ST) INDIA.
