* Many of the questions that people ask are about the meaning of life. * Some of the questions that people view as difficult or important are questions about the meaning of life. * When we ask questions about life we are looking for meaning.

* The death of a friend or relative – is there life after death? * Watching someone close become older and more dependent. * Being faced with unemployment. * When a very close relationship ends. * Becoming anxious about examinations – What’s the point? * Meeting a person with a severe disability or illness. * Witnessing a beautiful scene in nature.

* When we use meaning in this sense we are talking about something, an idea or a way of looking at things that helps us to understand what happens in our lives more. * Let’s use two images to help us to understand the word meaning.

* A map helps to point us in the right direction. It helps to keep us on the right path. When things don’t work out in our lives, when we have a lot of questions we can feel confused, we can even feel a bit lost. * Anything that gives our lives a sense of meaning is like the map, it can put us back on the right path and set us in the right direction again.

* Imagine walking down a dark tunnel with no light to guide you, it would be almost impossible to find your way. When we are searching for answers we can feel that we are searching in the dark. Meaning is like the light, it helps us to find our way. It sheds light on the darkness.

* Meaning is something that directs our lives, it gives us a sense of purpose and can help us to shed light on the questions that we have. * Finding meaning in our lives is not like going to the back of the maths book to find the correct answers. If we really want to understand things we have to work at them.

Look around your classroom. As a single group, try to make a list of each student’s unique talent at this stage in your lives. Look at each person. Are there any signs of voices/gifts that might emerge later on? What makes each of you unique in a special way? Are there people in your midst that could make a real difference for the better on a local or global level?

Are there any amongst you who would admit to having no interest in making a difference for others and who believe the world exists to get what you can out of it? How do you justify such a stance?

Are there any amongst you who rage against what you perceive to be injustice at different levels of society or throughout the world? Look around. Think about it. Teenagers with an innate sense of justice are everywhere.

Is there anyone who believes that it is their purpose to give something back? Do some of you feel that there is something that you have to give in service of others? You might be the quiet one who has nothing much to say now, but you have a sense that there is more to life than the adverts on TV and the general chit-chat of your age-group would have you believe.

What would signify accomplishment in your life … now … in ten years … in twenty years?

My Hopes & Ambitions What are they? How can I achieve them?