Finding Meaning along the WAY

Psychological studies tell us that the joys of a lottery winner fade as time goes by, just as the emotional turmoil of a person fades who has been disabled in an accident. Over time, these psychological findings claim that both - winner of an extraordinary stroke of fortune and as well as sufferer of an unfortunate twist of fate - will return to their original level of experiencing happiness or the lack thereof.

But then, when you look at the life expectation of a Nobel price or a multi-time Oscar winner, you find that on average, they do live a little longer than the runner up. So the pride in their accomplishments and the meaning they give to their life story apparently raises their level of life satisfaction and with it, their physical well-being. Feeling good about yourself certainly has its physical as well as psychological rewards.

This difference between both findings is subtle, but quite meaningful, especially for our spiritual community. As far as the day to day happenings are concerned, a spiritual traveler may not be any better off than anyone else. We also get upset when we are the victim of an accident, and we certainly face the same ups and downs of life everyone else experiences. But at the end of the day, the whole point of a spiritual journey is about crafting a meaningful contribution to humanity while being personally happy in the process. It is as if all of us receive Nobel prices and Oscars, though our red carpet event may only be seen by a few with the eyes to see our accomplishments. But that recognition will be enough to make us happy. Along the WAY, you will write a beautiful life story and you will live to enjoy it!