Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Similar to Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, the book, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande highlights a similar theme to the true meaning of life. In Gawande's book, he analyzes the problems with how our culture treats the elderly. More importantly, he emphasizes the idea that as one grows older, they focus less on networking and success and more on established relationships they have with family and friends. The importance of close relationships with others seems to give the elderly a common reason to live. Similar to the elderly's belief on the true happiness and purpose of life, hiking serves as a simulator for understanding what true happiness means. Hiking strips people from the marketplace and enforces strangers to become friends and develop close relations with one another. The elderly already have this ability to do so in which they are no longer invested in succeeding in our culture. I think hiking can help one find their answers to the meaning of life, but also show them the purpose of living which is understanding what true happiness is.

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