Essay on the Meaning of Life: Exploring Purpose, Happiness and Meaning

This essay delves into the multifaceted concept of the meaning of life, drawing upon personal reflections, literary references, and philosophical insights. It begins by exploring the author's personal quest for meaning and happiness, inspired by a quote from the Dalai Lama and the novel 'The Alchemist.' The essay examines the importance of learning from experiences, both positive and negative, and the role of relationships and internal and external factors in shaping one's perspective. It highlights the concept of 'synergy' as a unifying principle in life, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things. The essay references academic sources to support its arguments and offers a comprehensive exploration of the subject.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1ENGLISH ESSAY
“Life” is the word that fascinated me and I am trying to figure out in this wacky, big
world. This word is my favourite as once I read a lovely quotation in a card written by H.H. The
14th Dalai Lama. The quotation revealed the true meaning of life that every person is a visitor on
this earth and one need to do something good, useful and contribute to others happiness. In the
course of doing it, one can find the true meaning of life. I believe every person is brought on this
earth for some reason so that one can make difference in their life and help others. This thought
made me think that why am I here, what I have to do with my life and am I on the right path to
happiness and success (Lama, Hopkins and Gere 2011).
In the search of this question, I landed in Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, one of my
favourite books where one was searching for treasure in the pyramids that would give happiness.
In the same way, I was also searching for the treasure that would give me immense happiness. I
learnt from my life experiences that it is a journey where we learn from our mistakes,
opportunities, strengths and limitations. Life is a phase of learning new people and their
behaviour and attitudes. People change with time and situations where internal and external
factors play an important role. The one-word definition of life is synergy that has universal
significance functioning in everything in which life exists and makes it magical (Martela and
Steger 2016).

2ENGLISH ESSAY
References
Lama, D., Hopkins, J. and Gere, R., 2011. Meaning of Life. Readhowyouwant. com Limited, pp.
256-262.
Martela, F. and Steger, M.F., 2016. The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing
coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), pp.531-545.