1.3 Why Read This?

This essay is not a self-help manual.Though it does contain some practical steps they are not easy nor does this essay provide a daily routine to transform your life. It doesn’t promise quick breakthroughs or instant clarity. What it does offer is something both more modest and, I believe, more enduring: a framework for self-examination, rooted in lived experience, classical reasoning, and a belief that change is not only possible, but inevitable—if we understand how to direct it.

At its heart, this is a logical argument for a simple but often overlooked truth: we can choose new values. And if we choose those values wisely—if they are aligned with the kind of life we truly want to lead—we can act in ways that bring that life into being.

This is not a radical idea. In fact, it’s common sense. It’s also the basis for some of the most effective therapeutic models we have today. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), two widely respected approaches in modern psychology, are built on the premise that our thoughts, behaviors, and emotional outcomes are interconnected—and that by consciously shaping one, we influence the others. In essence, they teach people to identify the values they wish to live by, challenge the beliefs that undermine those values, and cultivate habits that reinforce alignment and meaning.

This essay proceeds in the same spirit. It is not clinical, but it is rigorous. It is not religious, but it respects the depth of human interiority. It is, above all, a practical philosophy for those who wish to live on purpose—to become the kind of person who can face suffering with clarity, joy with readiness, and life with a sense of coherence between belief and action.

1.4 Introduction to Fulfillmentism: The Search for Meaning Across Time

Philosophy has always been, at its heart, a search to understand the basis of existence and the nature of meaningful thought. From Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Kant, thinkers have wrestled with foundational questions: What is thought? What is selfhood? What does it mean to live well?

In parallel, another tradition—from Epicurus to Marcus Aurelius to Nietzsche—has asked why we exist at all, what purpose our lives serve, and what kind of meaning is truly worth pursuing.

In the twentieth century, modern psychology deepened this inquiry. With its focus on cause and effect within the mind, it became possible to study consciousness and behavior through a scientific lens. Freud, Adler, and Jung mapped the structures of the psyche—conscious and unconscious—that still underlie our models of therapy, self-development, and mental suffering.

In recent decades, this work has expanded further through the contributions of neuroscientists and psychologists such as Hannah Arendt, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Michael Gazzaniga, and Carol Dweck. They’ve explored not just the architecture of the brain, but the astonishing fact that thought itself can reshape that architecture—that will, attention, and intention may not be illusions, but developmental achievements.

And yet, as valuable as these insights are, they remain fragmented. Each field offers profound glimpses into part of the human condition, but rarely do they converge into a unified understanding of what makes a life fulfilling.

What happens if we take a step back and ask:

What do these great minds—across centuries and disciplines—reveal when taken together?

Is there a shared structure underlying human growth, purpose, and becoming?

Can there be a universal value system from which all meaningful fulfillment is drawn?

If you ask nearly anyone, “Would you like to live a fulfilling life?” the answer will almost always be yes. But ask what fulfillment actually is, and the responses vary widely: wealth, happiness, influence, love, freedom, peace. Others may admit they don’t really know. And perhaps most tellingly, many who do achieve their stated goals discover—often to their surprise—that those victories do not fulfill them.

So where does this confusion come from?

Even the most brilliant scientists and philosophers tend to stop short of offering a universal definition of fulfillment—partly because fulfillment is subjective. What it means to one person may not apply to another. Fulfillment must be discovered, not prescribed. No parent can bestow it on a child. No teacher can hand it over. At best, we can offer the tools for the journey.

The story of the genie illustrates this well: even when granted our heart’s desires, we may find that they leave us empty. The psychological principle of hedonic adaptation tells us that no matter how thrilling a new achievement or possession may be, we soon return to a baseline of dissatisfaction. Many people spend years chasing goals that, once reached, bring no lasting peace—only confusion and disillusionment.

This points to a vital truth:

Fulfillment does not reside in outcomes.

It lives in the values that drive the pursuit, and the manner in which the journey is undertaken.

Even desirable goals—like success, wealth, or recognition—will feel hollow if they are not rooted in values that genuinely nourish us. Fulfillment is not a static achievement; it is an ongoing state of alignment between one’s values, actions, and lived experience.

Fulfillmentism is a framework built to address this gap.

It is not a replacement for religion, nor a rejection of science, philosophy, or psychology. It is a synthesis of their deepest insights. Fulfillmentism is not a doctrine. It is a practical framework—reverse-engineered from the lives of those who, through struggle, insight, or transformation, have discovered how to align themselves with what is most meaningful and enduring.

At its core, Fulfillmentism is an aspirational, reasoned attempt to answer this question: How can I live a life that feels whole, meaningful, and true?

To be fulfilled is to live in a state of alignment—where one experiences internal harmony, meaningful connection to others, and steady progress toward one’s highest potential. Outcomes like wealth or recognition may appear along the way, but they are not central. Fulfillment resides nearer the root.

As entrepreneur and thinker Naval Ravikant has said, “Wealth can buy freedom and time, but it cannot guarantee meaning.” True fulfillment comes not from accumulation, but from clarity, alignment, and the capacity to create and connect.

So, if fulfillment is subjective—different for every person—how can we propose a universal framework?

The answer, I believe, resembles a tree. The branches and leaves differ: each life, each path, each personal dream. But they are all nourished from the same deep roots. What varies in form may share the same source.

Fulfillmentism proposes that all human fulfillment arises from five foundational root values:

  • Free Will
  • Individuation
  • Meaningful Pursuit of Mastery
  • Communion
  • Adaptability

From these core values grow the three great areas of expression:

  • Creativity
  • Transcendence
  • Vitality

A person who aligns their life with the foundational values of Fulfillment will naturally express themselves through these three dynamic domains. They become not only fulfilled—but fulfilling to those around them.

This essay sets out to explore each of these principles in depth, and to show how any life—no matter the path—can become meaningful, resilient, and rich when grounded in the roots of Fulfillmentism.

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

This quote emphasizes the importance of living a meaningful life rather than dwelling on theoretical ideas about what a good person should be, and it encourages immediate action towards becoming a truly good person. But if one doesn’t know what those actions are, the point is moot.