Which fish are you? The one that knows this is water or has no awareness of it?
The age old question about life remains one that is elusive to so many people. It seems at some point ever person goes through a phase where they really want the truth on understanding the meaning or purpose of life. After some soul searching they can come to terms with some personal philosophy of life but in reality is what they think the actual truth or just some definition that best fits where they currently are in their evolution as a human being.
It all comes down to the level of awareness the person has in relation to their self awareness and the connection to everyone one else they encounter in their daily lives. The meaning of human life will always vary to each individual because it truly is one of perspective, but if you have the willingness to look at yourself from the lens of 50,000 feet you might be surprised at what you see. Through this looking glass you might find that life only has meaning when you bring the context of your experience into it and that until that point, it truly is just meant to be lived.
In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked by Kenyon College to give the graduating class commencement address. A lot of Wallace's fiction was focused around irony and what it is like to be a human being. In his commencement address he gave probably one of the most elegant and simple definitions of how you can make a choice to be aware and think in a way that can remove the "I don't understand life" mindset and instead see the beauty behind the real message to life. He has a way of making people stop and think about how selfish they might be acting in their daily default routines versus someone that is completely present and making conscious choices in their life.
Here is an abridged version of the speech in video format that gives the core message. This is the perfect way to show your children a message on the how to look at their lives in a way that reminds them that the world does not revolve around them. You can also watch it via this link.
I do suggest that after you watch the video that you actually listen to the whole speech to get a greater understanding of what he was trying to communicate. The audio might have too many words that younger kids might not understand.
Audio 1 - This is Water - Part 1
Audio 2 - This is Water - Part 2