How to Live a Meaningful Life

How to Live a Meaningful Life

Wars rage, the planet burns, politicians are up to high jinks, and apparently no-one can agree on anything. It’s no wonder we all feel overwhelmed. So, what can we do when life starts to feel too much? How do we remind ourselves what it’s all for anyway?

This strand of events – on philosophy, humour, relationships, and nourishment – is about remembering (and celebrating) the things that make life worth living. We’ve asked incredible writers to present their take on some of the cornerstones of what makes us human – and here’s something of what you can expect:

We’ve got writers talking about resilience, and about how equipping ourselves with knowledge about how our struggles affect us can empower us to navigate through the worst of them.

We’ve got writers talking about paying attention, about the crucial importance of  looking up and showing up and standing with each other, even when it’s hard going, and especially when we don’t fully know what to do.

We’ve got writers talking about how vital it is to pause and reflect.

We’ve got writers talking about how they’ve found meaning in the midst of apparently hopeless situations, talking about what meaning actually means – and faith, too. What does it feel like to have faith? What does it take to keep it?

And we’ve got writers talking about some of life’s greatest joys: food and creativity and nature and laughter. Things that are innately meaningful for the happiness they bring to us… but more than that, they can be powerful tools of solidarity, of holding onto hope, and of standing up to those who would try to knock us down.

This strand is all about the stuff of life, really, and we hope these events will uplift and replenish you.

 

N S Nuseibeh: A Woman Found

Sunday 18 August 17:30 - 18:30

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In her collection of essays Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman, British-Palestinian writer NS Nuseibeh considers her own identity by asking what being a Muslim and Arab feminist means, and explores her own relationship with her background as an...
 

Rachel Clarke: I Carry Your Heart with Me

Monday 19 August 10:45 - 11:45

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More than a muscle, the heart it is a symbol of all that makes us human. Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Life and Breathtaking (recently adapted for TV), Dr Rachel Clarke speaks to Gavin Francis about the transplant that became the subject of...
 

Tim Spector: Go with Your Gut

Monday 19 August 18:45 - 19:45

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  • Watch online
  • BSL interpreted
Food gives us life, yet diet misinformation abounds. Bestselling author and epidemiologist Tim Spector is here to separate fact from fiction – and to reassure us that we can love our bodies and food equally. Drawing on new research, Food for Life is...
 

Daniel Tammet: Life On The Spectrum

Tuesday 20 August 17:45 - 18:45

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Tired of stereotypes of autistic people, author Daniel Tammet set out to meet nine other neurodivergent people from across the globe. Tammet reflects on the nine extraordinary people his book follows, which includes a bestselling author, a detective,...
 

Julian Baggini & A C Grayling: Food for Thought

Wednesday 21 August 12:00 - 13:00

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The question of how humanity fuels itself has never been more critical. In this event, philosophers A C Grayling and Julian Baggini attempt to unpick how we protect nourishment and progress without destroying our planet – and whatever lies beyond....
 

Kapka Kassabova: New Pastures

Wednesday 21 August 12:45 - 13:45

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Pastoral life is explored in Kapka Kassabova’s new non-fiction book, Anima. In the shadow of the Pirin Mountains, the ‘pastiri’ people still maintain the ancient practice of shepherding their animals in search of pasture. Kassabova lived with one...
 

On Paying Attention: Olesya Khromeychuk

Thursday 22 August 14:15 - 15:15

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Perhaps the greatest gift writers offer the world is the reminder to stay engaged with life, even when the urge can be to switch off. Today, we’re joined by Olesya Khromeychuk – writer, historian and director of the Ukraine Institute London – who...