#meaningoflife

WHAT CHANGES WHEN YOU LIVE DIFFERENTLY

What if many of the difficulties you experience were not merely coincidences or the result of external circumstances, but the consequence of much deeper causes?

It is natural to believe that changing jobs, finding a new relationship, moving to another city, or adopting a different lifestyle will resolve what troubles us. Yet, over time, many people discover that even when the scenery changes, the same insecurities, worries, and feelings of emptiness eventually return in a different form.

Perhaps you have experienced this yourself. You achieve a goal that once seemed essential, and after the initial excitement fades, the feeling that something is still missing returns. Your income improves, you gain greater recognition, or you solve an important problem, yet the sense of peace lasts far less than you expected. At that point, you begin to wonder whether happiness truly depends on external circumstances or whether there is a deeper cause you have yet to understand.

The teachings of the Bhagavad-gita begin with precisely this question. They are not merely meant to be studied as philosophical ideas, but to be lived as practical wisdom capable of transforming the way you perceive reality and respond to it. Krishna explains that suffering does not arise solely from what happens around us, but above all from not knowing who we truly are and from forgetting our relationship with spiritual reality.

According to the Vedas, most people identify themselves exclusively with their body, emotions, thoughts, successes, and failures. This limited identification makes every loss seem final, every rejection deeply wound the ego, and every material achievement appear indispensable. However, when you discover your true spiritual identity, you begin to see life from a far broader, calmer, and more liberating perspective.

This shift in consciousness does not require abandoning the world or neglecting your responsibilities. On the contrary, it enables you to face them with greater balance, understand the purpose behind each experience, and cultivate an inner peace that no longer depends entirely on external events. That is the true power of spiritual knowledge: it transforms the way you understand life, and through that transformation, it changes the way you live it.

👉 What if the most important change you need is not changing your circumstances, but discovering who you truly are?

THE IGNORANCE THAT FEEDS SUFFERING

Most people spend much of their lives trying to solve the problems that arise each day. We rush from one obligation to another, strive to meet expectations, seek financial stability, and try to ensure that those around us are well. All of this is necessary, yet we rarely stop to ask whether we are addressing the real cause of our problems—or merely their consequences.

Imagine that an alarm starts ringing every morning in your house. You can keep turning it off day after day, but unless you discover what is triggering it, the problem will continue. The same happens with suffering. We usually focus on eliminating the symptoms—stress, fear, frustration, or anxiety—without paying attention to their true origin. The Vedas call this spiritual ignorance: forgetting our real spiritual identity.

This ignorance has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence or academic knowledge. You may be highly educated, professionally successful, and appear to have a well-ordered life, yet still not know who you are beyond your body and mind. As long as your identity depends on your appearance, the approval of others, or your achievements, you will remain on an emotional roller coaster that changes with every circumstance.

Krishna explains that the root of suffering is not found in society or the external world, but in the consciousness through which we experience them. When we mistake what is temporary for what is eternal, we seek a security that no possession, relationship, or achievement can ever provide permanently. That is why, even after obtaining what we once longed for, a new desire, a new fear, or a new dissatisfaction inevitably appears.

Spiritual knowledge begins precisely where this confusion ends. It does not remove life's challenges, but it transforms the way you face them. Once you understand that your true worth does not depend on changing circumstances and that your identity transcends everything material—everything that changes, deteriorates, or disappears over time—you gain a much deeper emotional and spiritual stability. You experience an inner freedom that no external situation can either give you or take away.

👉 To what extent is your suffering caused by what happens to you, and to what extent by the way you identify with it?

KRISHNA'S TEACHINGS IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA

One of the most hopeful messages of the Bhagavad-gita is that your past does not have to determine your future. Many people live convinced that their mistakes will follow them forever. They carry guilt over wrong decisions, words that hurt others, or opportunities they failed to seize. Over time, that burden becomes part of their identity, as though starting over were no longer possible.

In these timeless verses of the Bhagavad-gita (4.36–37), Krishna explains that spiritual knowledge has the power to consume the accumulated reactions to our past actions and free us from ignorance—the fundamental cause that keeps us trapped in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the defining condition of material existence.

"Even if you consider yourself the worst of sinners, you will cross beyond all suffering by the boat of spiritual knowledge. Just as a blazing fire reduces wood to ashes, the fire of spiritual knowledge burns to ashes all the reactions to material actions."

Yet Krishna offers a completely different perspective. He explains that even someone who believes they have committed the gravest mistakes can become free from suffering through spiritual knowledge. Not because it magically erases the past, but because it transforms the consciousness from which the present is lived. When consciousness changes, the direction of life changes as well.

To illustrate this truth, Krishna uses a powerful metaphor: just as an intense fire turns wood into ashes, spiritual knowledge consumes the accumulated reactions to our material actions. In the same way that fire completely transforms whatever it touches, genuine wisdom transforms consciousness and dissolves the deeper causes that keep human beings bound to suffering.

This does not mean that we can act irresponsibly while expecting all consequences to disappear. Spiritual knowledge brings about this transformation only when it ceases to be a theory and becomes a way of life. Every decision made with greater awareness, every action performed with a higher purpose, and every step directed toward Krishna strengthens this process of spiritual transformation.

For this reason, the greatest change is not merely changing what you do, but changing the way you understand and live each of your actions. When your understanding changes, so does the way you relate to others, face life's challenges, and interpret every experience. What once nourished suffering becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth and genuine inner freedom.

👉 What aspects of your past would still have power over you if, today, you chose to transform your consciousness instead of continuing to nourish guilt?

THE TRUTH THAT CHANGES WHO YOU ARE

There comes a moment in life when the usual answers are no longer enough. You may learn more, improve your habits, explore new approaches to well-being or personal development, and yet still feel that something essential is missing. It is as if all your efforts are moving in the right direction, but one central piece is absent—the piece that gives meaning to everything else.

From the philosophical perspective of the Vedas, that missing piece is not external but internal. It is not a matter of acquiring more information, but of developing genuine spiritual understanding of who you truly are. As long as you identify yourself solely with your body, your thoughts, or your personal history, your perception of life will inevitably remain limited by these ever-changing labels.

In everyday life, this becomes evident in simple ways. A single comment can disturb you for hours, criticism can undermine your self-esteem, or an achievement can make you feel valuable only for a brief moment. Your emotional stability becomes dependent on external factors that are constantly changing.

Krishna explains that true spiritual understanding is not an abstract concept but an awakening to a deeper and permanent identity. When you genuinely realize that you are far more than your circumstances, your mind no longer reacts with the same intensity to every situation. Not because you become indifferent, but because you face life from a more stable level of consciousness.

This transformation does not distance you from reality; it enables you to experience it with greater discernment. Your responsibilities remain, your relationships continue, and life's challenges do not disappear, but your way of experiencing them changes. Gradually, you discover that peace does not depend on external events, but on the spiritual understanding from which you perceive everything.

👉 What part of your current identity is built upon something so temporary that it can never provide lasting stability?

THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS CONSCIOUSNESS

In everyday life, we naturally seek immediate solutions to the problems that affect us. If there is conflict in a relationship, we try to communicate better. If work becomes stressful, we look for better organization. If we feel inner restlessness, we distract ourselves, take a break, or change our routine. While these approaches may help, the deeper uneasiness often remains.

From the philosophical and spiritual perspective of the Vedas, this happens because the root of our suffering is not always found in external circumstances, but in the state of consciousness from which we experience them. It is like trying to brighten a room by rearranging the furniture without ever turning on the light. You can organize everything perfectly, but if your perception remains unchanged, your experience of life will not fundamentally change.

From this perspective, spiritual knowledge is not a superficial adjustment but a transformation of consciousness itself. It is not simply about changing behaviors but about changing the way you understand your existence. Once that shift takes place, even the same circumstances begin to appear in a completely different light.

Krishna explains that this knowledge possesses a profound transformative power. It does not merely relieve present suffering; it acts upon the inner causes that generate it. That is why it is compared to a blazing fire that transforms everything it touches. It leaves behind no residue—only clarity and spiritual discernment.

In practical terms, this means something very tangible: you begin to respond instead of merely reacting. Criticism no longer automatically provokes anger, loss no longer completely destroys your inner stability, and difficulties no longer define who you are. Not because life has become easier, but because you are living it from a higher level of awareness.

👉 What would change in your life if, instead of merely trying to "fix" your circumstances, you began transforming the consciousness from which you experience them?

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL

In everyday life, we often evaluate ourselves according to our actions. When we do something we consider right, we feel relief or satisfaction; when we make a mistake, guilt or regret arises. Gradually, we build an identity based on what we accomplish or where we fail, as though these things completely define who we are.

From the perspective of the Vedas, however, even this way of viewing life remains limited. As long as everything revolves around the ideas of "good" and "bad" actions, consciousness remains bound to a system of reward and consequence. While this framework may help guide behavior, it does not necessarily lead to genuine spiritual freedom.

This is easy to observe in daily life. You may feel proud after helping someone, while secretly hoping to receive recognition in return. Or you may remain burdened by a past mistake, constantly trying to compensate for it. In both cases, you remain attached to the belief that your worth depends on what you do—or fail to do.

Krishna explains that spiritual knowledge transcends this duality. Not because acting rightly becomes unimportant, but because consciousness rises above the constant expectation of reward or fear of punishment. When this happens, life is no longer experienced as a balance sheet of successes and failures, but as an ongoing journey of spiritual realization.

The Vedas explain that when a person attains this understanding, they transcend both the reactions to actions considered virtuous and those considered harmful. This does not imply moral indifference but spiritual freedom. You act with greater responsibility, yet without becoming psychologically bound by the results. Action becomes an expression of awakened consciousness rather than another link in the chain of material conditioning.

👉 To what extent are you truly free if your inner peace depends on feeling "right" or on avoiding the feeling that you have made a mistake?

THE FREEDOM THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY

At some point in your personal evolution, you may realize that not everything you are searching for lies outside yourself. You may have tried to improve your life in many ways—changing routines, relationships, goals, or even your way of thinking. While these changes can certainly bring genuine improvements, something deeper continues to call your attention in moments of silence: a longing for a peace that does not depend on external circumstances.

From the perspective of the Vedas, this inner longing is neither a mistake nor a problem to be eliminated. Rather, it is a sign—a quiet reminder that human life has a higher spiritual purpose than simply improving external conditions for temporary comfort.

Throughout this search, the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita are not presented as an imposition, but as an invitation. They invite you to look at life from a different perspective, to question the identity you have built, and to consider the possibility that you are far more than your personal history, achievements, or failures.

Krishna explains that when this understanding matures, a person begins to experience a freedom that no longer depends on external events. Not because problems suddenly disappear or life comes to a halt, but because the soul is no longer completely conditioned by them. It is an inner spiritual stability that arises from within.

From this existential perspective, life does not necessarily become easier, but it becomes far more meaningful. You act with greater awareness, relate to others with less reactivity, and experience a peace that is not easily shaken by life's inevitable changes. It is a quiet freedom, yet one that is profoundly real.

Ultimately, true transformation does not consist in escaping life, but in understanding it from a deeper level of spiritual consciousness. And that understanding gradually transforms the way you live each day—even in the simplest moments.

👉 Are you willing to discover a spiritual freedom that does not depend on anything external that can change?

A NEW WAY OF SEEING LIFE

The wisdom of the Vedas does not invite you to reject the world but to understand it more deeply. It teaches that lasting peace is not achieved by controlling every external circumstance, but by awakening the spiritual consciousness through which those circumstances are experienced.

The Bhagavad-gita reminds us that the greatest transformation begins within. When you understand your true identity and your eternal relationship with Krishna, your priorities gradually change. You continue to fulfill your responsibilities, pursue your goals, and care for those around you, but you do so from a place of greater clarity, balance, and inner freedom.

This spiritual vision does not remove life's challenges, but it changes the way you face them. What once seemed like an insurmountable obstacle becomes an opportunity for growth. What once generated fear gradually loses its power. What once defined your identity becomes simply another experience along your spiritual journey.

The knowledge shared by Krishna is not meant merely to inspire reflection—it is meant to be lived. Its purpose is to awaken the dormant spiritual awareness that already exists within every living being and to guide us toward lasting happiness beyond the temporary ups and downs of material life.

👉 If lasting peace begins with understanding who you truly are, what is preventing you from beginning that journey today?

🔥 A CALL TO TRANSFORMATION

Everything you have read is not meant to remain as an interesting idea, but to become part of your daily life. Right now, while you continue with your responsibilities, thoughts, and concerns, you have the opportunity to look at your life from an entirely different perspective. You do not need to change everything overnight, but you can begin by observing yourself with greater honesty and awareness.

Perhaps today you can notice how you react during a conversation, how you speak to yourself when things do not go as planned, or how often you seek security in things that you already know are temporary. That is where genuine transformation begins—not through dramatic external changes, but through subtle inner decisions that gradually reshape the direction of your life.

The teachings of the Bhagavad-gita do not ask you to abandon your life; they invite you to live it with greater depth, discernment, and spiritual awareness. Krishna reminds us that spiritual knowledge is not merely theory but a way of living that gradually frees the mind from ignorance, confusion, and unnecessary suffering.

If you choose to apply even a small part of this wisdom in your daily life, you will begin to notice subtle yet meaningful changes in the way you think, feel, and act. This is not about becoming perfect; it is about choosing a new inner direction. Every conscious step, no matter how small, brings you closer to a life of greater harmony, stability, and spiritual fulfillment.

True transformation does not happen all at once. It unfolds through countless conscious moments that gradually become part of who you are. Over time, these small changes reshape the way you understand the world, relate to others, and experience your own existence.

👉 What conscious decision could you make today that would become the true beginning of your spiritual transformation?

Most Western philosophy treats "seeking" as something essential to human consciousness. Sartre, for example, said that consciousness is always "for-itself" — always projected toward something, always incomplete, always reaching.

But here's the twist: what if he wasn't describing an ontological truth at all? What if he was just capturing the psychological atmosphere of his time?

If you're born into a culture built on the separation between the sacred and the profane — where meaning is imagined as something "above," "beyond," or "after" life — then of course consciousness will feel like it's always chasing something. You're conditioned from birth to believe that what you truly are isn't here yet, that fulfillment is external, that value is elsewhere.

Under that paradigm, the human being naturally experiences itself as lacking.

And that feeling of lack becomes what we call the ego.

So the whole structure ends up like this:

You assume the sacred is outside you.

That creates the sense of being "profane," incomplete.

That incompleteness generates the constant search.

And the search gets mistaken for the nature of consciousness itself.

Sartre took this culturally-produced restlessness and treated it as a universal law.

But what if it isn't?

What if consciousness doesn't inherently chase anything? What if the "seeking" is just a side-effect of believing you're separate from what you already are?

In other words:

the ego might not be the root of human existence — it might just be the shadow cast by a belief system.

When the idea of separation dissolves, the compulsive search dissolves with it.

And what's left isn't some grand metaphysical mystery — it's simply awareness being itself, without running after a finish line that never existed.

Life throws us into a kaleidoscope of challenges, paradoxes, and questions. From ancient thinkers to modern philosophers, humanity has tried to craft paths through this maze of existence. Whether you’re someone who laughs at the absurd, seeks higher meaning, or builds resilience in the face of chaos, one thing is clear: philosophy offers us tools to navigate the world. The question is—which one do you follow?

Absurdism: Dancing with the Chaos

Absurdism is the wild child of philosophy, championed by Albert Camus. It’s about accepting the universe’s lack of inherent meaning while embracing life with gusto. Imagine standing at the edge of the void and saying, “Sure, nothing matters, but I’m here for the ride!” This philosophy celebrates rebellion against despair and finding joy in the small, fleeting moments.

Absurdism resonates with those who thrive on irony, contradiction, and humor. If you’ve ever laughed at life’s unpredictability or found peace in its chaos, you may already be living absurdly.

Existentialism: Writing Your Own Script

Existentialism invites us to take the pen and write our own story. Thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard argued that while the world might not provide meaning, we can. It’s all about freedom, choice, and responsibility.

Do you believe in forging your own path, even if it’s difficult? Existentialism might appeal to your inner adventurer, urging you to seek authenticity and purpose in a world that refuses to hand them to you.

Stoicism: Mastering the Inner World

Stoicism is the philosophy of calm within the storm. Ancient figures like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca preached that while we can’t control external events, we can control our reactions. By focusing on what’s within our power, we cultivate inner peace and resilience.

If you value discipline, logic, and detachment from the chaos of emotions, Stoicism might be your guiding light. It’s the philosophy for those who find strength in steadying their mind against life’s tempests.

Utilitarianism: The Greater Good

Utilitarianism asks: What brings the most happiness to the most people? Championed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, it’s the philosophy of practical ethics. If you value results over intentions and prioritize societal welfare, this could be your creed.

Nihilism: Rejecting the Script

For the Nihilist, nothing holds inherent value—not morality, not life, not meaning. It’s often seen as dark and pessimistic, but at its heart, Nihilism challenges us to strip away illusions and confront the truth.

Do you find meaninglessness liberating? If so, Nihilism could be your framework for understanding existence—or rejecting it entirely.

Idealism: The Pursuit of Perfection

Idealism looks to the stars. This philosophy emphasizes ideas, consciousness, and the potential for perfection. Thinkers like Plato believed the material world is just a shadow of the true, ideal reality.

Do you dream of higher truths, art, or unshakable principles? Idealism might align with your tendency to see potential beyond what’s immediately visible.

So, What About You?

Each philosophy offers its own lens on life. Some embrace the chaos, others impose structure. Some find solace in detachment, others in engagement. The beauty of these perspectives is that none are truly exclusive; life’s too complex for just one set of rules.

But here’s the question:

Which philosophy guides you the most?

Are you an Absurdist who dances with chaos? A Stoic who thrives on resilience? Or perhaps an Existentialist forging meaning in the void?

A handful of pours from this month with a Jeff Buckley cover in the background. Poruijg lattes and music are my two biggest passions in life.

The last few years Ive been neglecting playing and singing.

I consider it a failure in character not to engage with something that brings me so much satisfaction.

Can anyone else relate?

Inspired by Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night”Personal adaptation of Dembe Zuma’s Final Monologue

True Wisdom

True wisdom is not of man, nor is it found in the earth, but from above - heavenly, holy. For that created was created according to the wisdom of Him who created it and by whom all things consist, knowing their form from the beginning. Therefore the fear of The Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of The Holy One is understanding, as it is written.17 For apart from Me there is no knowledge, apart from Me all understanding passes away. For I AM HE, The Only Fountain from which flows all wisdom and knowledge, The Source of all things.

So then all who receive of Me grow wise, Receiving of that which is pure, Learning to walk in that which is eternal…

As one being led along a mountain stream Of living waters, filled with a fervent Desire to seek out its source…

Drinking from it along the way, Gaining strength in weakness, Leaving all behind in their holy pursuit…

Says The Lord.

Source: https://www.thevolumesoftruth.com/Words_To_Live_By:_Part_Two

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