“What do you consider a meaningful life?”

As the minister at Unity Temple on the Plaza, I have on several occasions sat at the bedside of a person who is very close to dying.  The most difficult transitions are when the dying person is looking back on his/her life in a regretful way.  They regret things they did; they regret things they didn’t do;  and they  regret not fully living their lives to their hearts desire. Each of us has the freedom to live our lives the way we choose as  long as we don’t violate the God-given rights of another person to do the same.  The first point of a meaningful life is to reach the end without regrets. 

The second point of a meaningful life is to live in a way in which your presence is beneficial to the earth and its inhabitants.  It is a very comforting thought to know that somehow, someway you make a positive difference. Your life counts for something good. You matter.

The third point of a meaningful life is to continually grow in knowledge, wisdom and conscious awareness.  Each of us has a vast, unlimited mental, emotional and spiritual potential and nothing can bring the satisfaction, meaning and fulfillment that comes from the self becoming more than it has ever been before.

“Learn as if you will live forever; live as if you’ll die tomorrow!”