The meaning of life
As a teenager, I asked my mother “What is the aim of life?” She said, “To be happy and to make others happy.” This was my gospel for a decade. It made sense. It even aligned with my name (Anand = happiness). In my twenties, I was confused that happiness has tradeoffs, like: Long term (study hard) vs short term (party hard) Self (e.g. save diligently) vs others (gift generously) Getting what we like (e.g. favorite food, ambitiousness) vs liking what we get (e.g. any food, gratitude, lower standards) Outcome (e.g. wealth) vs process (e.g. enjoying work) By my thirties, I felt happiness is the intersection of pleasure and meaning. So I tried to be aware of and balance both. ...
