"So you want to know the meaning of life, you’ve come to the right place. I know the meaning of life. And here it is: the meaning of life is to have fun. Hope that’s not a let down, but that’s what it is, it’s to have fun and to learn that we create it all, we create everything, no asterisk, no parenthesis and no fine print. Overall I think it’s to realize that we are good enough, that our essence is beautiful even though our actions sometimes aren’t. I think by our actions we prove that we are human beings, and by our essence we prove that we are spiritual beings. I think that overall we are here to learn how to love and how to receive love and that’s difficult. That’s difficult for a human being. It’s not difficult for the spiritual being in us but the human being part resists that all the time. That’s what I think the meaning of life is. We all have to keep working on that. So here’s my advice. Let someone pick up the check and just say thank you when they do."-Barry ManilowI was listening this morning to this track and I realized there is so much more to the statement that we as fans so often quote: the meaning of life is to have fun. It's so easy to take someone's words out of context and leave out the essence of what they mean. If you listen (or read) to what he is truly saying you will glean some great truths and come away with what he was trying to communicate overall (his exact word).
Yes. He does say that we need to have fun in this life. BUT...he also says that we need to realize that although our essence is beautiful, sometimes we act like humans: we make mistakes. We have a human side and a spiritual side. It's not just about having fun. It's about getting in touch with that spiritual side that makes us better human beings. And once we do it affects everything that we do: from having fun, to giving and receiving love, to receiving help when we need it from others.
Bottom line: our fun should not be at the expense of our growth as a human being. If it is, we've missed the point. Beauty to Barry, is not on the outside, it's the essence of who we are: frailties, insecurities, flaws, and failures. In his words: we are "good enough". And if you really look at the meaning of what he was trying to say, you'll find that it's the "working" at it that makes life fun. It's the choices we make, the obstacles we overcome, the failures that keep making us try harder. It's what you learn along the way and how you grow in the journey.
That my friends, is the meaning of life. And like Barry, I hope you aren't disappointed.
Texas Fan
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1 comment:
I love reading and hearing what Barry says. How he see's life as it is. He also finds the human being as being responsible for the actions they portray and that we must find that spirtual being with in us. Some people never will. And , how easy it is for one to turn the words around to suit their own needs, to try and prove a point. Then again, that is the human being that has not found their spirtual side. You must put all the material things away in life to find the spiritually of who you really are. It is a shame some really do not even "know" themselves, much less anyone else. It's amazing what one can learn from "listening" to another's outlook. Listen and you might learn.
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