You're so right; the only person who can generate meaning in our lives is our-self. At the end all that seems to matter are the experiences where love was present. No?

@Earthling50 I would say that some negative experiences have an effect on our lives. I remember all positive and negative -- but I do not allow them to define me 100%. The mistake of only love is to ignore the negative, which will bite you when you least expect it.

That's what I call wisdom; we have to learn from our mistakes and grow or stay stuck. I'm not advocating for a pollyanna mindset. What I'm asking is what is it that ultimately matters at the end.

Enlightened and noble! ... The greatest problem we face is over population; seems we are out of control as a species; a locust infestation of the human type. Over breeding we;'re increasing climate change, destroying wildlife habitat and our precious water etc, as never seen before. Stuff like this keeps me up at night.

That seems like a sad statement for life. Surely there must be things that inspire you...?

@Earthling50 Playing music, but there will come a time when that will not be physically possible. ☺

I'm sorry to hear that cause music is so engaging and can be so uplifting and meaningful. The Buddhist believe we should live each day as though it were our last and that the greatest pain is the one of attachment. I'm still working on that and its not easy. But it sounds as though you are not well and my heart goes out to you.

@Earthling50 l'm fine really. Sarcasm doesn't always play well on line. I do appreciate the sentiment. I do worry somewhat about not being able to play someday. Drums are a physical instrument, and at some point l won't be able to do that. Playing is something l can get totally lost in. ☺

I don't know if you're kidding or not but, I see alcohol as a temporarily escape which, if you're telling the truth, I can't knock you for cause I like having a glass or two of wine or whatever ...but drowning in alcohol is another matter cause it destroys not only the body but the person's life and... it hurts and costs society.
I think it's better to feel life with all its pain and gamut of emotion and ... become interested in the emotions that keep repeating (i.e. various forms of fear (anxiety), depression (sadness), confusion, anger). Repetitive, unhealthy emotions are worth investigating. Some detective work with the help of a therapist really helps. Hoping you don't mind me offering this, but TA therapy is the quickest way to get to the root of many problems. [goodtherapy.org]