The examined life
Socrates once said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” But what does it truly mean to examine life? To examine life is to awaken from autopilot—to live deliberately rather than drift passively through inherited assumptions and societal expectations. It means turning inward, questioning deeply, and choosing to live authentically, on our own terms, with awareness and intention. The Buddha examined life and uncovered its true nature: it is impermanent, unsatisfactory, conditioned, and fabricated. He did not just observe the world—he observed the mind, and saw that the roots of our suffering lie in our reactions to experience. And so, the examination of life begins with examining the mind. The sense of I , me , and mine arises as a reaction, clinging to what is pleasant and pushing away what is unpleasant. But in truth, 98% of our daily life is neutral. We overlook it. Think of the thousand discomforts that are not happening to you right now: no stomachache, no fever, no thirst, ...