Making Life Meaningful

justifies the beginning.’ It is the end result that proves whether the beginning was right or wrong. Many people have started their lives with great enthusiasm. But the latter period of their life has proved that their beginning was not the right one. Their case was a case of miscalculation, rather than one of right calculation. For example, the Greek emperor Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) was a very ambitious person. His goal was to conquer the world. But, his human limitations overcame him and he died at the age of 32 in Babylon, about 3,000 km away from his homeland. The same is true of Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) who, likewise an ambitious man, rose to the position of Chancellor of Germany. Then he decided to rule the whole of Europe, for which he initiated a war which escalated into the Second World War. Yet, Hitler could not fulfil his dream, and committed suicide at the age of 56 in a bunker. There are thousands of such examples throughout history. Certain individual started out in life with high hopes, but failed to achieve their goal and died in a state of frustration. In the beginning they were hopeful, but in the end they died in a state of utter hopelessness. ‘Right here, right now’ is a formula of life that has gained popularity in the present age. This seems to be a beautiful formula. I know a number of persons, both men and women, who have adopted this principle. Although in the beginning they were very happy, in the latter period of their lives they felt that they had been unsuccessful in achieving their goals. Finally, they fell a prey to frustration and died of some fatal disease,