What gives life meaning? Questions to ask yourself that may change how you see things

An article by Prakash Baviskar of Navi Mumbai sets out questions to ask oneself about the meaning of life. It says days move on the same way: waking up, working, meeting responsibilities and sleeping exhausted at night. Amid this rush, one should sometimes ask why one is living at all: merely to get through the days, or to create some meaning in the life one has been given.

The wish for money, security, love and respect is natural. But if the mind stays restless even after getting everything, the question is whether one needs more things or needs to understand oneself. And is one repeatedly changing the condition for one's own peace of mind?

The meaning of life does not lie only in some big success. Nobody has a firm answer to why one was born. Faith and philosophy say different things. But until that secret is revealed, living cannot be stopped. One can begin by using the time, strength and opportunities at hand today. If someone's difficulty eased, someone found support or a task was completed honestly, that too matters. A good deed does not lose its worth because the world did not notice.

Posting on Facebook, keeping a WhatsApp status and checking reactions again and again is common. How many likes came, who praised, who ignored. The article asks whether one had simply put one's view across, or had given others the right to set one's worth. If a photo drew fewer reactions, did the joy of that moment shrink? Good advice on one's work should be heard and mistakes corrected, but there is no need to hold on to every taunt. One's satisfaction in one's work should be felt by oneself as well.

If posting leaves one uneasy, the apps can be shut for a while. Notifications can be turned off and troubling accounts muted. Not every experience needs to be shown to everyone. Some joys kept only for living remain joys.

Why should one's life feel incomplete on seeing someone else's car, foreign trip or award? We see their chosen moment, not their whole situation. One can take inspiration from it, but should not undervalue one's own journey. Everyone's responsibilities and pace of progress can differ.

In relationships, conversation matters more than guesswork. When someone is online but does not reply, it is easy to feel hurt at once. But there can be many reasons. Why judge a relationship by one blue tick? If the relationship matters, speaking calmly is more useful than guessing. What is gained by joining every quarrel in a WhatsApp group? If a point must be made, make it, but if the discussion slides into insults, it is better to stop. It is not one's responsibility to keep everyone pleased. Where to spend one's time and mental strength can also be decided by oneself.

If attention is on the phone even at home, how will one's own people get one's company? If the phone is set aside, and one listens to them and asks about their day, warmth will come into relationships. Along with keeping love in the heart, it is important to show it in behaviour.

We keep giving happiness a next date: once this task is done, or this much money comes. But new goals will keep arriving. So why wait for all problems to end before enjoying today's tea, an unhurried walk, a favourite song and a warm conversation? Contentment does not mean giving up ambition. One can value what one has and still strive ahead. Learning a little more and improving a little over yesterday is also progress.

Not everything is in one's control. Other people's behaviour, the past and every outcome cannot be changed. But one can work on one's preparation, steps and responses. Effort should go into what can be changed, and one should not repeatedly blame oneself for the rest.

Not every day is a happy one. When grief, failure or separation comes, one should give oneself time to recover, talk to a trusted person and, if needed, seek proper help. Why conclude that being sad means life has become meaningless? While caring for others, one should also mind one's limits. What cannot be done can be said gently. There is no need to exhaust oneself keeping everyone happy. Help should be given wholeheartedly, but not at the cost of one's health, rest and essential responsibilities.

The body and mind support us every day. Are enough sleep, proper food, movement and a little peace being kept for them? Resting when tired is not laziness. Keeping oneself ready for tomorrow's work is also an important responsibility today.

The article also speaks of beginning and ending the day with oneself. In the morning, before opening the phone, one should ask which one task is meaningful that day, and try to complete it. During the day, one should talk to someone from the heart, take a short walk and help where possible. If small tasks keep happening every day, life gets support. At night, one should not only tally what was left undone, but also recall what was learnt that day, which moment felt good and for whom one felt grateful. If a mistake is made, it should be corrected, but one's whole personality should not be blamed for a single mistake.

Perhaps the meaning of life is made every day: in shaping oneself, keeping up relationships, working honestly and bringing a little light into another's life. Life may not be perfect and can still be meaningful. The question to keep asking oneself is whether one lived wholeheartedly today. One need not look happy every day, but happiness can be given room. One will not get everything, but one can value what one got. Instead of handing one's life over to the reactions of others, one can make the small decision today to give it direction.