How to Build a Meaningful Life
Purposelessness is an easy fix
(first video, absolutely shit quality. the main thing is that it exists)
I posted this idea on Threads and it got a fair bit of traction. Thus, the existence of this week’s newsletter.
This newsletter will show you how to integrate your mind, body, and soul, to create your dream life.
Your true purpose is built when you integrate your mind, body, and soul.
Heaven is not above the clouds, and it cannot be found.
It must be envisioned and and made real.
Heaven is a blueprint, an ideal to strive towards. But in saying this, it also creates a hell to run away from. This is your source of motivation, goals, and actionable steps.
Unfortunately, the tyrannical pursuit of absolute control, has led to the destruction of the soul entirely.
The problem of meaninglessness can be solved.
Here’s how to do it in 3 steps.
In the search for control, we’ve destroyed the soul
The psyche.
The soul.
The spirit.
The mind.
The essence of what makes you, you.
I’ve been reading Carl Jung’s Modern Man in Search of a Soul, and I think the preface of the book states what I'm about to say perfectly.
I want you to imagine a spectrum. There are two extremes on opposite ends.
One side is rationalism.
The other, is spirituality.
The former is certainly for modern man, as Jung might've put it, and it's one of the core reasons as to why the human race has managed to develop as fast as we have.
If you know the reasons behind what happens to be the case, you gain control. With logic you can dictate outcomes with greater success, and thus, in some sense at least, get whatever the hell you want.
But I’d also argue that it’s one reason as to why meaninglessness became a potent problem in the mid-20th century.
When one starts to think about "facts", it gets very easy to fall into an existentialist rabbit hole. To turn a corner on a random street, in Camus’s words, and to be violently hit in the face with the feeling of absurdity.
We all know that we're floating through space on a rock. That's a fact.
So, what is the point then?
And this is the problem of purpose:
We've fractured our minds by prioritising rationality over spirituality in pursuit of absolute control.
And thus, we’ve lost control of ourselves.
In the desire control everything, we’ve lost control of ourselves in the process.
Let me illustrate with an example.
Destroying gods to become gods
Nature hates a vacuum.
If you ever want something to change, there is no removing it without replacement.
The Nazis needed to replace religion if they wanted complete control.
That is, total dedication to the state's ideology, with a man of flesh at the top.
Hitler was God, because he framed himself as a God, because he had control.
Religious rituals and symbols were replaced; Mein Kampf was placed at the top of every altar and swastikas were everywhere.
There was no more room for soulful expression of the individual.
It was all just one ideology, one belief system, one soul to be expressed by the masses.
Control was the ultimate goal.
But if you want control, you must disregard that which does not make any real, logical sense.
When rationalism is not appropriately integrated with spirituality, but rather, is used to destroy it, the result is hell on Earth.
The Nazis demonstrated why the integration of spirituality and rationality is essential for human flourishing.
It creates individuality. If there are authentic individuals in a state, you have less control over that state. There are no individuals without both sides of the same coin - the mystical and the logical.
It’s through this idea that we have come to a source of meaninglessness.
A feeling that we've shot ourselves in the foot.
So what's the fix?
How does one integrate the mind and soul through the body? Through the act of living?
Here's one man that did it.
Frankl: building a heaven in hell
Viktor Frankl survived the Holocaust and he gained something invaluable in doing so.
(really, one of the most absolute definitions of hell on earth and he still managed to push through it and find something valuable from his time there? F*ck. Me.)
Frankl believed that you create your own meaning.
Even within the confines of one of the most controlled environments in the 20th century, the human spirit could not be restrained.
Frankl had a purpose, and thus, he remained individual against the Nazi's and their desire to destroy spiritual expression. They could not replace his soul.
He escaped hell with a stairway to heaven, not located anywhere, except to be constructed deep within the soul itself.
The personal act of defining one's own purpose is an unstoppable force that no external body can ever fully control.
Frankl's insights helped him to create a mechanism by which individuals can keep and promote the livelihood of their distinct souls, and create a pathway towards a heaven unique to them.
The integration of spirit and reason creates unbreakable meaning in life. Thus, the antidote to meaninglessness is creation.
Purpose then, is not found but built.
So what do you strive towards?
How do you let your soul roam free and let it build its own unwavering paradise here on Earth?
It starts with understanding the framework for a healthy soul.
Perfecting the soul
A healthy soul needs 3 habits.
Each habit is distinct to the domain of:
Mind
Body
Soul
The mind is rooted rationality. This is where your logical thinking happens.
The soul is rooted in spirituality, creativity, and individuality. This is what makes you special.
The body lets these domains manifest and actualise themselves in the physical world.
The body is the route through which integration can take place between the rational and the spiritual.
The body is the way through which unbreakable meaning can be built through action, through the art of living.
Use reason to set an aim.
Move your limbs to take control and dictate change.
Let the soul roam free to express itself.
Here's your philosophy for each domain.
The mind
Reason creates control.
If you want control of your life, you need to think about:
what you want
and how to get it
You do this through thinking: by creating a clear vision of what the perfect life would look like (heaven), and what a terrible life would look like (hell).
This is your source of motivation. If you have something you're terrified of, you will feel motivated to stay away from it and to find something greater.
This is all done through logical thinking.
Create a goal.
Make a plan.
Break down your plan into actionable steps.
Aim low enough with your actionable steps, your "to-dos," so you can make progress without wiping yourself out after the first week.
This is the pathway to consistent, incremental progress across time.
Now that you have a direction, you need balance. This is done with the other two domains respectively.
The body
No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.
Socrates
You have one body. Use it.
Get strong. Learn how to use your strength.
Take the Greek philosopher Plato.
Plato wasn't actually his real name, it was a nickname given to him based on his wide shoulders and excellent wrestling skills.
Plato literally means "broad."
A strong mind is nothing without a strong body to actualise its philosophical content.
You can choose any form of exercise you'd like.
For me, I lift weights for my physical strength, and do jiu-jitsu for my physical skill.
Here's why most beginners fail to train the body: they do not leverage the minimum effective dose.
You don't need hours of training.
What you do need is precision, to carefully spark physical adaptation with targeted minimum effort. This is the less is more principle.
Start off with this:
1 gym session.
1 exercise.
1 set.
1 time per week.
It doesn't matter if this is so low an aim that it's practically pointless.
You have the rest of your life to build on it.
(Also, side-note. Join a jiu-jitsu club. It will literally change your entire life physically, mentally, and socially. Sorry. Just had to say it at least once!)
The soul
The most beautiful f*cking thing about being alive is that there is awe in everything, even the most ordinary of things.
Now it's time to create your purpose.
You find meaning by thinking, doing, and listening to your soul.
What things in life seem to grab onto you?
What activities made hours feel like minutes when you were a child?
These are distinct to your soul. Study them and you'll find your purpose.
When I was younger I loved making films, looking at bodybuilding videos online, and watching WWE.
3 of the most meaningful domains in my life involve reading and writing, liftings weights twice per week, and working towards my jiu-jitsu purple belt within the next 2 years.
Make your domains of meaning a priority. Schedule in your minimum effective dose (like we previously said).
Maybe you could read 10 pages, play one guitar song, or have one 5 minute conversation with a loved one you haven't seen in a while.
Again, you have your entire life to build on this.
Once you've finished reading this newsletter, define your 3 domains of mind, body, and soul.
Commit to building 3 tiny habits this week.
This is you building your stairway to heaven one brick at a time.
This is your start.
- Profound Ideas
Prompt Library is now live for paid subscribers
I’ll be uploading 1-3 prompts over the next month.
Leave a comment if you have any specific requests.
Here’s the first three prompts:
My golden habits eBook
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Overcome laziness, lack of motivation, and random. directionless progress in how you live your life
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Screw the cautioners—Immanentize the Eschaton!
Very nice 👏