The Feeling That Something Is Missing

I was having a brief conversation with a friend, Sheraz, when an interesting discussion arose: why is it that even when we get the things we feel we want, we're still not truly satisfied? We always seem to seek something else; something just out of reach.

It’s curious how, at different points in our lives, we find ourselves wanting something so badly that it feels like our entire existence will transform once we attain it. But then, after we finally get it and the temporary high fades, we’re right back to the same reality.

We look into the depths of our own souls and realize that nothing has really changed; beyond what happened externally.

His answer was that it’s because there’s no purpose - or perhaps, that our purpose hasn’t been found yet. I disagreed slightly, because sometimes I wonder: what if there is no specific purpose at all? What if we’re simply meant to live and experience life?

What if experiencing life and living every moment of it is our purpose? Why do we feel we have to "find" some grand, singular purpose? Maybe it's not the lack of purpose that leaves us feeling empty after attaining our desires. Maybe it's the way we define purpose in the first place.

That was my argument. He might be right - it could be that the emptiness stems from not having found purpose yet. But what if, instead, there's no fixed purpose at all? What if we’re simply free to live and pursue whatever we feel drawn to?

He encouraged me to write something about it - and this is it. But to be honest, there’s not much to write about, because the answer is still elusive. The closest thing that sometimes seems to bring answers is delving into spirituality and a belief in something greater.

When you study and engage in spiritual or religious practices, you do sometimes feel a sense of truth and connection to something beyond all the things we keep chasing in this earthly life.

You become aware, but even then, there are times you still feel like something’s missing. Something you can’t quite put your finger on. And in all the experiencing, enjoyment, living, and fun we have in life… there are moments when reality hits: nothing ever truly quenches that inner craving for more.

That feeling that something is missing. Maybe we’re meant to live with it. Maybe it's what drives us: to aspire, to grow, to learn, to question, to explore spirituality, knowledge, creativity - whatever calls to us.

Maybe the things we do as humans to seek meaning are not just distractions or fillers. Maybe they are the meaning. And perhaps, the feeling that something is missing is actually what makes life so interesting and worth experiencing.

What if it’s simply our definition of that feeling that shapes how it impacts us? What if, instead of seeing the feeling of something missing as a negative; something to be sad or anxious about, we saw it as the catalyst that keeps us seeking, expressing, evolving?

What if that is the driver of a meaningful life?

Would love to hear your thoughts, because I could be perfectly wrong about everything I’ve written here.

And feel free to be wrong in your comments too, if you’d like to share something.

Keep winning! 

And by the way if you celebrate Easter, Happy Easter to you!

- Ike