I have heard that from my students: "You can't fill your belly with meaning. You can't pay your bills with meaning." Nor can you fill a life with "McJunk" was my answer. 

What happens in a society that calls meaning a luxury? Meaning is something like a responsibility, it is not merely a need. By definition meaning goes well beyond ourselves, it goes beyond our lives and it tends towards the people around us, the people we care about, the people we love. Meaning is valuing what is worthwhile, what does matter in lasting human terms: love, care, relations, well lived lives.

Malala Yousafzai the Pakistani little 14 year girl recently shot by the taliban, personifies this truth and took full responsibility of her belief (the Foreign Minister of Pakistan told on CNN she refused the protection plan from the police). With very simple and straight words, with an unmatched courage she reminds to all of us that the value of meaning is the essence of life. She gave us a great example and a direction to follow: during our daily fight to build a better and sustainable future, there is nothing more pragmatic than looking up in the sky to breath for a moment. It's a relief, not a luxury.