The Good, the True, the Beautiful

I once read, long ago some text by Plato, and was struck with the idea that the meaning of life is captured in three great ideals: the good, the true, and the beautiful. Those may be not be modern terms, but they offer a powerful framework for understanding what gives my own life meaning today. Looking through this lens, I can trace how my journey fits — where I have found fulfillment, where I have stumbled, and where I still search.

The Good speaks to love, morality, and friendship — the bonds that connect us to others and the ethical compass that shapes our actions. I have accomplished love through my marriage to Julie and the family we have raised together. This is not theoretical love, but a daily, lived practice: in our shared routines, in moments of laughter and hardship, in the quiet reliability of partnership. I believe I am a moral person, though I know morality is not a badge to wear but a path to walk. I strive to act with integrity, to admit when I fall short, and to repair harm where I can. I have worked to remain open to friendship, to be someone others can count on, and to help when it is within my power. In all this, I see the good not as a static achievement, but as a continuous unfolding — a lifelong effort to embody connection, care, and ethical living.

The True centers on intellectual reflection, the pursuit of wisdom, and the hunger to understand. I have built knowledge through formal study, including my PhD, but I’ve come to appreciate that real wisdom also arises from reflecting on my life, from examining my actions, and from staying open to the lessons others have to teach me. I am curious by nature — eager to understand the world, to explore new ideas, to question how things work and why people behave as they do. My pursuit of the true gives my life depth; it keeps me engaged, prevents me from drifting passively, and grounds me in a meaningful relationship with the world.

The Beautiful lives in creativity. For me, it has long been found in photography — capturing images that tell a story, freezing a moment in time, searching for the grandeur in ordinary sights. Yet I admit: I have not kept up with this part of myself. In stepping away from creative pursuits, I’ve felt a subtle erosion of meaning. I miss the way creativity brings me into sharper contact with life’s wonder, how it helps me see the world with fresh eyes. Reclaiming this part of myself feels essential, not frivolous — because the beautiful reminds us that life is not just something to understand or to improve, but also something to admire.

But even with these guiding categories, I sometimes struggle to name my higher purpose — the overarching goal that gives direction to everything else. The clearest answer comes when I look to my family. In them, I see the center point of my purpose: the reason for my efforts, the focus of my hopes, the living legacy I will leave behind.

So, in the end, I believe the meaning of life lies in filling our everyday actions with true meaning. Unlike Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll his stone up the hill forever without purpose, we have the opportunity to invest our lives with significance. When we orient ourselves toward the good, the true, and the beautiful — when we act with love, seek wisdom, and celebrate life’s grandeur — we are not just pushing the stone; we are pushing it over the hill, toward something lasting and meaningful.