The meaning of life

The title of this blog sounds a bit heavy. That’s right! When I was young, I often wondered why I was here on earth. It couldn’t be that it was simply about enjoyment! The fact that I felt so heavy about it also had to do with the time in which I was born (1952).

My parents

As I already described in a blog, my parents suffered considerably during World War II and the time when my father had to go into action as a conscripted soldier in the former Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). All this affected the family into which I was born. Not that we were heavy handed but there was always the feeling that life had a shaky balance.

Faith

In addition to all this, my parents were religious and members of the Dutch Reformed Church. Especially my mother was serious about this. By that I mean that she knew a lot about what was in the Bible, took the pastor’s sermons very seriously and was rather “heavy handed” which means as much as she wanted to do it all very well!  So it is not at all surprising that I too did not take life lightly.

Mission

When I look back, I took a lot of roads to discover what my mission was. Because it almost had to be a mission, light and airy no, life could not be that simple.  In any case, we were taught that you were there to help others, to share and to contribute. In short, it was about making the world a better place! My parents were an example. They were hospitable and anyone could knock on their door for a listening ear or help. They helped where they could and set themselves aside.

Disappointed

Eventually, my parents left the church. There was too much inauthenticity. They kept their faith. According to my father, the church was just an institution with all kinds of rules and was far from what faith meant to them. They were also very disappointed in the human kind.

And how is that for me now?

I too made many efforts to make the world a little more beautiful. In doing so, I thought of grand changes and made an effort. Eventually it became clear to me that the greatness is in the small. I, too, have often been disappointed. That has not stopped me from keeping my heart open.

Johanna