Weekend Engagement - My Meaning Of Life

Define the meaning of life as you know it or believe it to be, and what you feel "your purpose" is.

What is the meaning of life? It is actually an interesting question because different people have different answers to this. I recalled there was one time where this was a similar discussion on this topic, some people said they believe being happy was "their purpose" in life, but one individual disagreed. That individual said, it's not so important to be happy in life, what matters more was to be useful, to make a contribution to society. In my view, there's really no right or wrong answer to this. So what's my meaning of life?

For me, I think the answer to this question have changed over time, and it's not surprising because our thoughts are always shaped by our life experiences and we also become more mature over time.

The Best Statistician

Let's rewind to 20 years ago, when I was still a teenager. I vividly remember that Mathematics was my favourite subject and I enjoyed working with numbers. I had a rather innocent and yet at the same time an ambitious dream then, I told myself I wanted to be the best statistician in my country. Lol!

I held this belief - I did well for my grades for A Levels, and did not hesitate in applying to study Statistics in my undergraduate programme. Contrary to some of my peers, I really enjoyed my four years attending classes and working on statistical models.

I did well for my undergraduate programme, but as I was gradually exposed to the society and working life, I realised my ambitious dream was just not realistic. I had bills to pay, myself to feed, etc and it's probably more realistic for me to get a job, work hard and earn my keep.

Living For Myself

Bringing the clock back to present, as I got exposed to harsh realities in life, be it in the society or the workplace, I gradually learnt more about myself and found what made me happy. And it was then I started living for myself, which included being comfortable spending time with myself, and do the things that I always wanted to.

Initially, it wasn't easy but after a while, I have learnt to enjoy my own company, and manage my own schedule and life became more fulfilling.

There was a period of time where I preferred to travel alone, and no prizes for guessing where this was taken in. I was actually on a work trip in London, but had some pockets of time to do some sightseeing after working hours.

Being A Son

It was also at the same time I realised my parents were getting older with time, and it dawned upon me that I should spend more time with them and take care of them as well. Sometimes it's a challenge because as adults, we all have various commitments, be it work or something else, and it's easy to take our loved ones for granted. At least for me, they do take precedence over many things in my life and I just feel that if they are happy, it makes me happy as well.

Most people probably would be familiar with this iconic image. This was taken in Hong Kong, during one of my family holiday trips. Travelling with family is always very different from travelling with friends, but it was still a memorable trip regardless.

So that's all I have. As always, the meaning of life is always complex and cannot be summarised in a few sentences, so that's just my personal reflection. And who knows, it might change 10 years from now. Haha. Have a good weekend!