Do we all have a meaning for others?

Use this forum to discuss the April 2021 Book of the month, "There's a Rooster in My Bathroom: A Quest for Meaning in the Bathroom, the Boardroom and Beyond" by Trish Ostroski.
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Sasha_100
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Re: Do we all have a meaning for others?

Post by Sasha_100 »

I think that we all have a meaning for others. Both in good and bad ways and somewhere in the middle too. Because people aren't just black and white.

While I believed I hadn't seen it myself untill I told a very close friend that I might not be available to work on a project we were doing for an extended period of time due to various reasons and I thought it'd be fine since we had found quite a few new people to help too.

What surprised was that my friend was utterly shocked to hear the news because I had become so important for them that they couldn't imagine working without me around. Which was completely out of my expectations because I hadn't realised I was capable of affecting them to such an extent.


On the other hand, I have also met people who feel they need me so their negative mentality, world views ir habits. While that was a hard truth to swallow it was a good lesson nonetheless.

That's why I believe everyone has a meaning for everyone else.
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Post by Mimi Kenneth »

I think that statement is talking about how we view the people we meet and how they view us. So, if I recognize that someone sees me with a positive view I work hard to keep it that way.
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Post by review-specialist »

Hmmm, 'Do we all have a meaning for others?'. I think this statement could imply that we have certain expectations and purpose attached to persons around us as well as how they have expectations and purpose attributed to our existence in their lives.
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Post by Abisolalawal »

I like this quote and it can also be seen to mean that we are always different in everyone's story, thoughts and opinions. In other words, we mean something else to others the way others mean something else to us. That meaning is usually beyond the obvious or what is perceived on the surface. This quote is really a deep one and I like it for its reality.
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Post by MBerretta »

I think we mean something to others in negative and positive ways. I, personally, think I've been negative in someone's life before just by my own behavior and by saying stupid, ignorant things. Luckily, I've learned and grown so I hope I'm mostly positive to most people I interact with now.
"I want to learn everything I can, and I write down everything I see. Golly says if I want to be a writer someday, I better start now, and that is why I am a spy."

-Harriet M. Welsch (Harriet the Spy, 1996)
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Post by Ldpuff »

dianaterrado wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 03:24
Sushan wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 01:15
We all have meaning for other people, and we need to do a stronger job of protecting that and recognizing that.
This is a quote from this book that caught my attention. What do you think about this statement? Does it mean that we all have a meaning for all the others, or we all have a meaning for some of the others? Do we all actually have a meaning for others? If so, what do you think about yourself? What is the meaning of yourself to others or the world? Was it difficult to recognize it? Are you working on to protect it?

I really like this quote. The way I interpret it is that each of us portray ourselves differently to different people. That's why we need to recognize who and what we are to a certain person so we can maybe make it stronger? Or better? I don't know if this makes sense. But that's how I see it.
I like this interpretation! As an enneagram 3, I struggle with my true identity. Typically, this enneagram type shifts and adapts to various surroundings and people. We want to be liked and validated - it is a core need for us. I know that I am different around different people, but I am trying to work on that. We want different people to see us in different lights because we are insecure, in my opinion. It is a scary thing to just be yourself no matter what.
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Post by Jordan Cane »

I think this draws on the idea of perspective. In on perspective, yes, we can all potentially have a meaning for others. "Others" can also mean very different things. Does "others" include only those we have an interaction with in our lives, no matter how small? Or does "others" mean ALL people? And what can be defined as an "interaction"? To have a personal interaction with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hamilton, or any of the founding fathers of the United States is impossible, but for those living in this country, these people having a meaning in our lives as they are credited with creating the country in which we live.
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Post by Anjali Kushwah 1 »

Yes, of course we have a meaning or place in the lives of people surrounding us. Our family and friends define us to some extent. Some people have selfish motives to have you and some have selfless place in their hearts for you. Everyone plays a part in others life whether it is big and not worthed or small leaving lasting impact on someone.
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Post by TheMazeRunner »

When I read this sentence, I immediately thought of stereotypes. I hate that, people always have wrong thoughts about others. What the author actually thought is that WE need to be better for others. We have to be here for a reason and be the best we can be.
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Post by Anjali Patil »

I agree with the Author. We are put here on earth for a reason and that reason varies as per the different people that come into our lives. Many people have played different roles in my life and I think it's vice versa. So, the author is right where he tells us to do a great job for the people we are surrounded with.
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Post by JB3 »

I disagree I think that the meaning of life is for each person to discover on their own. Being overly dependent on another person can be detrimental to what you are attempting to accomplish in life.
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Post by Purplesturv »

My understanding of "meaning" in this quote is the impression that people have of us. Do you meet people and leave them better than you met them? A simple smile can go a long way, what about a compliment or a word of encouragement. we have to be intentional about being well meaning to others.
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Post by Nathaniel Owolabi »

I agree that we all have meaning to others. When I say meaning I mean that, whenever we come across people's paths, we influence their life. We make our mark; be it positive or negative. Having said this, we do not have a fix meaning, how we influence a person life is what determines our meaning to that person. This is how I understand that statement.
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Post by ROSEY-ANN »

dianaterrado wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 03:24
Sushan wrote: 01 Apr 2021, 01:15
We all have meaning for other people, and we need to do a stronger job of protecting that and recognizing that.
This is a quote from this book that caught my attention. What do you think about this statement? Does it mean that we all have a meaning for all the others, or we all have a meaning for some of the others? Do we all actually have a meaning for others? If so, what do you think about yourself? What is the meaning of yourself to others or the world? Was it difficult to recognize it? Are you working on to protect it?

I really like this quote. The way I interpret it is that each of us portray ourselves differently to different people. That's why we need to recognize who and what we are to a certain person so we can maybe make it stronger? Or better? I don't know if this makes sense. But that's how I see it.
I think is how you articulated your point is excellent. I agree by knowing the meaning of our lives to others we can try to become better in terms of our character which leads to stronger bonds.
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Post by ROSEY-ANN »

MBerretta wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 15:00 I think we mean something to others in negative and positive ways. I, personally, think I've been negative in someone's life before just by my own behavior and by saying stupid, ignorant things. Luckily, I've learned and grown so I hope I'm mostly positive to most people I interact with now.
Thanks for sharing. I think most persons have at one point or another contributed in one way or another to someone else's point of view of them. Our ability to look at ourselves from another person's perspective ( the meaning the person gives to us) can be a powerful thing.
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