Why Do We See Life So Differently?

Some people say that finding meaning is what makes life beautiful. Others say that we do not find meaning—we create it, and that is what makes life even more beautiful and precious.

Source: Pinterest

A friend once told me that humans are made to feel emotions in the same way that AI is designed to gather and provide information. Through emotions, we experience the world in countless ways. We laugh, we cry, we feel anger, fear, joy, and sorrow. These emotions are what make us human.

But what about those who cannot find meaning, or struggle to create it?

Exploration, curiosity, habit, survival, pleasure, and desire are often what motivate people to continue living. Perhaps all of these are sustained by meaning. Exploration without meaning can become boring. Curiosity without meaning may feel directionless. Habit without meaning becomes a cycle. Survival without meaning can lead to hopelessness. Pleasure and desire without meaning may feel empty.

And when meaning is lost, people can feel lost as well.

Everything they see begins to fade into a shade of grey. Colors lose their vibrancy, experiences lose their significance, and hope itself starts to feel distant. What remains is a sense of emptiness, as though nothing truly matters. For some, living in this shade of grey for a long time can lead them to question whether life is worth continuing. How could they not, when nothing seems different, important, or meaningful?

Some people say meaning is discovered. Others say it is created. Yet some struggle to do either.

If we all live in the same world, how can we see life in such radically different ways?