“There was a time when I was at a loss as to what to do with my life. I was deeply depressed, sleeping for twelve or thirteen hours a day . . . a sort of adult-onset narcolepsy. I think part of it was an existential mourning for the lack of meaning in my life, a yearning for the emergence of an authentic self I wasn’t sure existed.

“Many young people feel just as I did, hopeless and empty, not knowing what to do with their lives. All of us want to feel we have a purpose that gives our lives meaning. In the absence of that, we blame ourselves and feel like refuse that might just as well be discarded. My alienation took the form of sleeping all the time, bulimia, and deep conventionality. Drugs, acting out, drinking and driving too fast are escapes other young people turn to in order to feel they actually exist, in the absence of a sense of self.”—Jane Fonda.

Jane is correct. When we are devoid of meaning in life, we deteriorate. And when we have no meaning early on in life, we deteriorate prematurely. Like Jane, young people feel hopeless and, yes, despite all their bluster, helpless. They wander around looking for something, but not knowing what it is. If they can’t find its meaning, they look for something to pass the time, something that will entertain them. That is when they get themselves into all sorts of trouble. Drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling and all kinds of self-destructive behavior are what they resort to.

The serious student who has a vision and a goal does not have those problems. There is meaning and purpose in his life and he recognizes self-destructive behavior when he sees it and wants nothing to do with it. He is driven and his life is on a very different course. He avoids the traps and pitfalls that those youngsters without meaning embrace.

This is why we need to do what is necessary to motivate our young people and get them moving in a direction that has meaning for them. It is the reason why at our Nazareth Formation House in Batangas, all residents are required to either go back to school and do well, or get a job and succeed at it. We have found that the moment they find meaning, everything changes and their chances of success increase greatly.

When a person feels down, depressed, lonely and empty, it is necessary to fill that emptiness with meaning. There is no other way.