My son, Jasper, is almost 12, and is entering what Jean Piaget called the formal operations stage of cognitive development. It’s when abstract thought, deductive reasoning, hypothesising and problem-solving become possible.
After dinner the other night, Jasper announced that he feels his life has great meaning. Savouring the dramatic silence, he asked, "Do you want to know what it is?"
"Of course we do", my wife, Kate, and I replied.
Jasper went on, “There are three parts to my meaning of life. They are:
- Make other people happy
- Enjoy the moment
- Look forward to the future”
That was it. Just 12 words.
Kate and I looked at each other and both of us had the same thought: “How simply could we sum up our ‘meaning of life’?”