What is the meaning of life? “Why are we here?”, “What is life all about?” “What is the purpose of existence?” Speculation throughout history has been tackled from theologians to scientists regarding conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, happiness, symbolic meaning, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the soul and the afterlife.
A 1970’s TV show called Mary Tyler Moore had an episode where Mary was in a rut. She was bored with her life and felt she had done it all. Questioning her job and her personal life left her struggling to find some refreshing new meaning to her life. Please watch the YouTube clip from 12:10 to 13:30
watch?v=4KsxMdR2Uf0
In that short 1.5 minute clip, Ted Baxter gives Mary simple and empowering advice. Baxter was a broad parody of vain, shallow, buffoonish TV newsman figures, particularly news anchors hired for style and appearance rather than journalistic ability. At the time, for me, Ted’s idiotic persona trumped the depth of the scene “… It’s not what you do but how you perceive what you do.”
That scene stayed with me and occasionally have drawn on it to help get through some difficult days. Before recovery, I could sort of put myself in a good place by forcing a smile in order to change my sad or angry mood: all the while, Ted’s advice to Mary had much more meaningful substance after recovery.
Tagged as Meaning of Life, Renewal, Rut, Struggling.
Posted in Coping, discouragement, distress, happiness, hope.
Posted on 26 May 2013
