Finding meaning in the ordinariness of everyday life and making oneself meaningful to others were the messages that resonated throughout a conference held at the Hilton Malta in St Julian’s on November 22.
Over 130 participants attended ‘The Meaning of Life’ conference, which was led by Frank Martela, a renowned Finnish philosopher and researcher of psychology at Aalto University, with the participation of Errit Kuldkepp, founder and director of Positively Inspiring Lifestyle from Estonia.
The conference was organised under the auspices of the Ambassador of Malta to Finland and Estonia Kenneth Vella, in collaboration with Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School Paola, the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation, Mindful Education Malta, and Lucente Hotel Valletta.
The conference was opened by the Clifton Grima, Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation. In his message, the minister outlined the importance of offering a meaningful education and the importance of mental well-being as one of the pillars of the newly proposed Education Strategy of Malta 2024-2030.
Also attending the conference were former minister of education and former minister for European foreign affairs, Evarist Bartolo, as well as Josianne Cutajar, a Labour Member of the European Parliament.
During the first part of the morning, Martela discussed the question of what makes life meaningful. He explained that the answer to this question lies within each one of us. The topics of autonomy, self-knowledge and values were also discussed. He also spoke about relatedness and the importance to feel connected to others, particularly the sense of value we give ourselves through the sense of value that others give us.
In the second part of the conference, all participants had the opportunity to discuss the issues further in various workshops, followed by reactions and feedback in a panel led by Martela and Kuldkepp.
The conference formed part of the eighth edition of the Mediterranean Tourism Forum organised by the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation and MHRA. Special thanks go to Vella for providing this insightful learning experience, to Alexia Brincau (assistant head), Giselle Gatt, Mariella Pulé, Elaine Azzopardi, and Julian Busuttil for assisting in the organisation and liaising with participants, as well as to Andrew Muscat, CEO of MHRA.
Ruth Mansueto is assistant head, Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School Paola.