The concept of “meaning” is often thrown around in conversations about life’s purpose, success, and struggle. But have you ever wondered what truly defines meaning? For many, it’s easy to assign meaning to material success, fleeting accomplishments, or superficial ideals. But when life knocks you down, when you’ve faced loss, oppression, or the fading of your entire existence, that’s when the true essence of meaning comes into question. What do you know of meaningless until you’ve had everything you hold dear stripped away?

When you’ve spent most of your life under the control of someone or something else—whether it’s another person, a system, or circumstances beyond your control—what remains? When your race, your community, or your people have dwindled to a mere handful, what do you cling to? The answer lies in the raw, unyielding force of your own strength.

1. The Agony of Powerlessness

Few things in life sting more than powerlessness—living with the knowledge that your fate is not your own. Whether you’ve been controlled by another’s hand, or oppressed by the weight of an unjust system, this lack of autonomy strips away a crucial aspect of human dignity: the ability to choose your path.

Imagine spending years, even decades, fighting against chains you cannot break, watching as those around you fall, one by one, until only a few remain. The despair of powerlessness can make life feel utterly meaningless. But here’s the paradox—within that pain is where strength is born. The moment you realize that no external force can define your spirit is the moment you begin to discover the true depth of your power.

2. Meaning Through Survival

When you’ve watched your race, your people, or your identity dwindle to a mere shadow of what it once was, the search for meaning becomes a matter of survival. The world may seem to be crumbling, but your strength, your will to endure, becomes the defining element of your existence.

For those who have experienced such loss, it’s not about finding meaning in abstract ideals or external validation. The meaning becomes deeply personal. It’s about resilience. It’s about the grit that keeps you standing when everything else has fallen away. It’s about knowing that, no matter what happens, your strength is your most valuable asset—it’s what defines you when everything else is lost.

3. Strength as the Ultimate Meaning

When life’s circumstances strip you of all comforts, when control is wrested from you, and when everything you’ve built falls apart, what’s left? Strength. Not physical strength alone, but the inner strength that drives you forward when the world tries to beat you down.

There’s a certain clarity that comes from enduring hardship. Those who haven’t faced deep suffering may find meaning in fleeting pleasures or social accolades. But when you’ve been ruled by another, or watched your community dwindle, you learn that strength is the only true, enduring meaning. Your power—your will to rise, to fight, and to persist—becomes your beacon.

4. The Danger of Denying Strength

Those who haven’t faced true hardship may trivialize strength. They may dismiss it as aggression, or view it as an unnecessary burden. But for those who have lived through profound loss or oppression, strength isn’t optional—it’s survival.

Denying the importance of your own strength, especially in the face of adversity, is to deny the core of your humanity. To survive hardship without embracing your strength is to let yourself be consumed by the forces working against you. When you refuse to acknowledge the power within you, you become vulnerable, both mentally and emotionally, to the control of others. Strength isn’t just about overcoming; it’s about taking back control of your life.

5. A New Perspective on Meaning

For many, meaning is found in family, community, or personal success. But what happens when those things are taken from you? When the foundations of your life are shattered, meaning must be redefined. The tragedies that leave others broken are the same trials that force you to discover an inner power that you never knew existed.

Strength becomes the guiding light in this new definition of meaning. It’s not something external. It’s not something anyone can give you or take away. Strength is yours alone, a wellspring of power that grows deeper with every challenge.

6. The Legacy of Strength

When your race dwindles, when your people are reduced to a handful, when life feels like a series of battles against impossible odds, strength isn’t just about survival—it’s about legacy. What you pass on to the few who remain isn’t simply knowledge or tradition; it’s the resilience that allowed you to endure.

Strength, in this context, is more than just the ability to fight back. It’s the ability to create meaning in the face of meaninglessness, to rise above circumstances that would crush others. It’s about finding purpose not in what you’ve lost, but in what you still possess: the power to endure, to rebuild, and to inspire.

Conclusion: Strength Is the Ultimate Meaning

Meaningless, huh? What do you know of meaningless? To face true powerlessness, to watch your people dwindle, and to live under the thumb of another is to know the depths of despair. But it’s also to discover a truth that so many overlook: nothing has more meaning than your own strength.

When you’ve lost everything, when life itself seems futile, the only thing that remains is your will to stand tall. Strength is not just a path to meaning—it is meaning. It’s the foundation upon which you rebuild your life, your community, and your future.