If so, take two minutes to go through this thought exercise. Stop reading and reflect for a second anytime you see a [PAUSE].
First, think about the people who've helped you reach this point in life. Like your parents. Think about the effort they put into raising you, and the times when they sacrificed their present for your future. [PAUSE]
Now consider the mentors and teachers who greatly affected your life. Ask yourself why they focused so much on you. Was it for their own success, or yours? [PAUSE]
Now come back to the present, and consider the people that help you day-to-day from the shadows. Like the consumers who buy new things, whose incomes eventually flow into your pocket. Or the workers who make your trains run on time. (Literally, if you take the subway like I do.)
How would you feel if there were no one to look after your health, fight your legal battles, scoop out your favorite flavor of ice cream, or make the decisions that keep your country safe? [PAUSE]
And now, turn the tables and start thinking about all the people that rely on you.
Pick the easy ones first. The co-workers that ask you to finish the work they started, so you can all get paid. The friends and family that need a familiar face to share their good and bad times with. [PAUSE]
Then get creative. Think about the people you don't know that rely on you. Like that waiter you tipped extra. Or the tourist you gave directions to. Or even the stranger you last gave a compliment to.
Think about how you made each of these people feel in those moments – how you gave them a feeling they could only get from another person. [PAUSE]
Do you see how dependent we all are on each other? In both directions?
This dependency is not a weakness. It's a strength. It's how we've outlasted other species that are now extinct. We need each other for survival. That is the ultimate meaning of all of our lives, collectively.
So the next time you're having an existential crisis, stop asking yourself questions like, "what is the point of my life?". Don't try to fit yourself into the big picture.
Instead, remind yourself that the picture only exists because we're all doing our little part, for each other. And then, go back to doing yours. [CONTINUE]
Written by Aryan Bhasin