Throughout most of my previous writings, I have emphasized a practical,
simple approach to life. Part of the problems in the world are caused by
people who complicate things too much; They want many luxuries, then they are
unhappy if they do not receive them. This problem could be avoided altogether
if people lived simple lives in which they were happy to have good food, a
comfortable place to sleep, and a few good friends. While it is true that the
world would indeed be a better place if people had simple goals like these,
it becomes fairly obvious that life would be pretty meaningless.
  I've emphasized the "living just to live" point before, too: Many people
have such simple lives that it is no life at all. They work all day, all
week, and often all year (with perhaps a short vacation), just so they can
survive. These people tend to be solid, humble citizens, but they form the
other end of the spectrum, and they are a problem too. Why should we live
just so we can live? It presents the classic solar-powered-flashlight
problem. (Why should the flashlight take in light, just to make more light?)
  So it seems that, once again, there must be a balance between two extremes.
We need to find a meaning in life, but we should not complicate things to the
point where they are out of control.
  Part of the problem, of course, is also that people's idea of the meaning
of life is in vanities: To have luxuries is people's idea of the sole meaning
in life: "Life is to enjoy".
  It seems to me, then, that people need to spend more time pursuing a *true*
meaning in life, not things that titillate the senses, but things that are
meaningful and helpful. It becomes a rather philosophical question: What can
we do in this life that *is* meaningful?
  The answer is different for everyone. Everybody has a different part to
play in life, but the basic idea of human society is that humans are communal
animals, and the fundamental property of a community is a system of taking
and giving, of people helping each other to develop and live.
  This is not an uncommon idea in human culture, but the reason I hate the
word "community" is because of its connotation in American culture: In North
America, a "community" is usually a place where people gather to do silly
things like play sports or dance or get drunk. These things are not the
meaning of life to me, which is why the American idea of community is
irritating to me. In my mind, a community is not necessarily a group of
people who are physically together, but simply a group of people who
contribute to each other's lives, usually by sharing information. A lot of
people have a lot of wisdom to share on many different subjects, some of it
philosophical or psychological like how to relax after a long day, some of it
purely practical like how to fix a leaky water faucet. All of this
information, though wildly different in nature, is helpful.
  How we live is all a matter of mindsets. What's in your head dictates not
only what you think and do, but also how you perceive your life and the world
around you. This means that a person's mindset is the single most important
factor in their happiness. And a person's mindset is not a single, simple
thing, but a huge combination of things: Influences, ideas, feelings, and the
like. All these combine to form a person's mind. This is why, to me, the most
important thing a community can do is work to develop the way people think.
  So put away the ideals that make up the American Dream: Money, fame, power,
success. Start thinking about the things that really make a difference, and
start taking your own life seriously. There's a whole world out there waiting
for you to explore it. And when your life is over, you'll be amazed not only
by how much it changed you, but also how much you changed it.