Putin: ‘Love is the meaning of life’

Vladimir Putin is known for his sharp wit, but musings on love are a relative novelty. In an unexpected remark Friday, the Russian president spoke of the “meaning of life,” saying that for him “in general” it is love that matters.

Briefly digressing from politics, Putin ventured a philiosophical observation that “multifaceted” love is the basis of all actions and the essence of being.

"The meaning of our whole life and existence is love," Putin told his audience at the 15th Congress of the Russian Geographical Society. "It is love for the family, for the children, for the motherland. This is a multifaceted phenomenon; it lies at heart of any of our behaviors."

Putin, who chairs the board of trustees at the Russian Geographical Society, went on to express his hopes that “joint work” would help strengthen love for the motherland.

"It is exactly the top priority which all of us should go after, and I am absolutely sure that we will succeed," he added.

Putin has spoken at length about the necessity to attract more interest in geography among younger Russians, saying it “can and should be one of the most interesting subjects in school.”

The president also suggested launching a National Geographical Quiz for testing knowledge in this field.
RT

25 Lessons, Insights And Revelations from Old Souls
For some, it is in very early life that a fundamental understanding of existence is born. This intrinsic intelligence speaks of things that most people only grasp later in life; that knowledge is power, wisdom is happiness, and truth is freedom.

This perceptiveness and deeper comprehension of the principles of life is a common trait amongst the Old in Soul.

Functioning as the emotional, intellectual and spiritual fringe dwellers of society, Old Souls can be likened to the modest Sages and humble Mystics of the days of old.

Finding it difficult to adapt to our modern materialistic and ego-worshiping society, Old Souls go along their quiet paths often unheard and unacknowledged.

Posed to a group of more than 3,000 self-identified Old Souls, I recently asked the following question hoping to receive a variety of responses:

What lessons, insights and/or revelations do you have about life?

The following is a compilation of this warm and insightful group’s responses.

"Live life in love, by loving yourself first. Follow your heart, and your intuition. Trust your gut instinct because chances are, you are right! Protect our Mother Earth, Gaia, in any way that you can." – Jason Pednault

"There is the world of the manifest and the unmanifested. Consciousness makes the world manifest." – Annette Vaillancourt

"Life is about loving; loving yourself, loving nature, humanity and all of its mistakes, about loving everyone you know because you undertand them, about loving everyone you don’t know because they might be just like you, about loving every single thing you can do, did or will do with no regrets." – Pedro Claro

"Pay closer attention to your thoughts and actions. Let go of the things not under your control, which are most things. Don’t attach yourself to the wish of a great future while not enjoying the ‘here and now’." – Ashish Pratap Singh

"Irealized that in life I must seek beauty everywhere: in art, in nature, in God, in the human being; always beautiful, even when apparently there is no beauty." – Cinzia Onnis

"The greatest lesson I’ve had is realising that I am the master of my own destiny. My thoughts and feelings can change my life from second to second. Once I realised I had this much power, I knew that my life would take a positive turn." – Marie Carnie

"Every person finds the truth their own way, and the ultimate “truth” in life has many versions that suit the needs of the many that feel they need it, whether it be religion, spirituality, or lack thereof. As contemporary beings on the same planet, it is our duty, our social contract, to respect each others autonomy without ever infringing upon it." – Gabe Stroup

"Then the individual is ready or facing an Awakening, they are called to retreat. The “normal” things in life just become empty. This time is for you to be Alone, to ponder and retrospect, to start the Quest of finding your true self, for only in the quietness of your own can you truly see what you really are and embrace it. After that, your world will change and different more similar friends will come to you. In general, life will improve." – Andres Romero

"Atransformative moment came for me the first time I looked into a stranger’s eyes and felt unconditional love and acceptance for them. I felt for the first time how interconnected we all are." – Donna Warner

"There isn’t a destination. While we seek to arrive, we never will. Simply seeking to accept and share as much of the abundance as we possibly can continually, makes for a fluid existence." – Leigh Wiegold

"Life is creation, keep creating." – Rome Nimkar

"What is commonly called “heaven” and “hell” is not a place outside of this existence we call “life” but rather they are extremes in experiences right here and now. We experience “heaven” when we focus on the positive experiences and “hell” when we are mired in the difficult times without a sense of learning anything from the experience. In actuality, experiences are neither all-good or all-bad, they just are. It’s how we focus our attention that puts an experience in one category or the other… and all are opportunities for growth!" – Laura Marek

"It’s not that we are all connected, it’s more that we were never disconnected in the first place, and that we just thought that was the case. Once we realize that we really are all one being, and that things like good and evil are merely human constructs, logic will lead us to wisdom." – Kristopher Marlatt

"When your prayers are not answered, it doesn’t mean God has abandoned you or doesn’t exist. You cannot have everything you want. In every struggle, there is a lesson to be learned. And there will come a time wherein you’ll realize why those things happened and what you have learned from them. We live in this world not just to exist but continue on learning." – Irene Laroga Gunning

"Faith can be a humble expression of hope, or an arrogant and ignorant declaration of truth. I personally believe humility is in order when contemplating God." – Thomas Schneider

"No matter how mature you get, no matter how much you think you understand, as you go from one moment to another, one person to the next; through examples and mistakes, we will keep on learning. Because life is a journey. And in that journey, we will learn and relearn the lessons we have come to realize." – John Arvin Baygan

"The two words I live my life by are “just love”. I also strongly believe in the power of NOW and we are all one with each other and the universe." – Jess Habig

"Reality is nothing but the manifestation of Imagination. In the end what really exists forever, what we can call as the absolute, undebatable, undeniable, invincible truth is the creative force of our thinking patterns in the middle of an infinite void. The Source is experiencing all of us, our lives, our existence all together at once simultaneously in the same moment right now, even as I type these words." – Pranay Kumar

"We live life as artists creating our path of existence. In the end, we create this magnificent masterpiece with all its beauty to share with the Universe so that it grows as well." – Shiela Brown

"One of the major challenges we face in life is that our life is disjointed, both inside and outside. There are many parts of us that need to be integrated so that we can form a big picture. Khalil Jibran once said “Joy is your sorrow unmasked”. We have got to bring our hidden sides to consciousness and integrate them into a whole so that our joy increases profoundly and our life unfolds magically and effortlessly." – Hassan Qadeer Butt

"For so long I have sought answers from books, and teachers, only to find discontent for I could not live them out. My wisdom never came from philosophies or teachings; they only improved my understanding. True wisdom comes from within." – Nikko Palma

"Material things, physical appearances, labelling, and the need to see things as a form of evidence are all superficial. We just need to practice proper discernment. And to achieve proper discernment, we must practice graceful detachment." – Kevin Echaluse

"Over time, I have learned that my old soul sees a part of itself in every person it meets. It has the ability to see through others’ eyes. With this lesson, I have achieved greater humility, compassion, and kindness towards all mankind." – Maya Delion

"I have learned there’s pure joy in building bridges and not burning them, leading everything towards communion not fragmentation." – Kunjana Parashar

"Everything that happens in my life, whether perceived as good or bad, is for my benefit and growth, and for the benefit and growth of the original consciousness of the universe." – Brianna Leigh
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