“The unexamined life is not worth living”- Socrates
Amid the everyday hustle and bustle of life, we seldom stop to think, contemplate or meditate about the true meaning of our lives. Unwinding at the end of a long day at work then just becomes a distraction from the stress in our day. We go out for a run, to the gym, watch movies or read a book to quiet our minds. However, when do we really contemplate our lives when we just seek to numb ourselves from our daily frustrations? I believe that the ultimate way to truly examine our lives is to examine the lives of those stripped of our daily “privileges” from which to seek to numb ourselves. Volunteer! Live a day in the shoe of a homeless person. Examine the situations around their homelessness. Volunteer to help those living in poverty. Volunteer to help the displaced. Volunteer to help those in war-torn countries. Contemplate the true meaning of humanity and giving back. If we don’t give back, we can never truly understand the meaning of what has been given to us. No one is entitled nor lucky for what they have in life. We do earn what we achieve yet some still remain underprivileged despite their struggles to achieve.A simple thank you that we give back to the universe is the essence of meditation. Put a smile on someone’s face. Examine the unexamined life.