What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? We mere mortals have pondered these philosophical questions concerning our existence since time immemorial. For centuries, religious figures, philosophers, sages and artists have been searching for a higher truth, speculating about the nature of our existence and proposing answers from various ideological and cultural backgrounds.
Scientists have chimed in on the subject with a pragmatic modus operandi to explain more about “how” life occurs, the objective world and to confine it within the boundaries of facts rather than giving meaning to our lives. The mere notion of confining the meaning of life to scientific fact brings to mind the controversial maxim of Cosmologist, Martin Rees; “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
Our innate curiosity and the desire to place our existence in a wider scheme of things in the universe has fed the hunger for both an inward and outer searching, mine included.
A spiritual path and meditation beckoned in my teens while the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Ghandi and Nelson Mandela sat high on my shrine of inspiration – still do. Forests, churches, synagogues, mountaintops, Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries, numerous retreats and everything in between have all been places of contemplation.
The quest for meaning during my late teens and early twenties saw endless hours spent at the Theosophical Society bookshop reading up on Hermetic Law and other mind-bending tomes. I read books on Hinduism including the entire Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu equivalent of the Bible. My copy of the classic, “The Roots of Consciousness by Jeffrey Mishlove, PH.D. could often be found in the hands of my fellow seekers and thus fell apart from over enthusiastic readers.
A spirit of adventure, love of travel, curious nature and search for meaning has taken me to 40+ countries across six continents including living in the Middle East and the United States and two journeys through India.
At a pivotal point in my quest, perched upon the top of Mt Sinai; the location believed to be connected to the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments, I asked God to give me the 11th commandment – surely the meaning of life would be revealed to me at such a sacred place. Either I was spiritually deaf at the time or I was distracted by the blinding light of the sunrise as the moment came to naught.
The arduous climb to the mountaintop in the early morn and the subsequent lack of externally applied reason to the meaning of life eclipsed the anticipated defining moment however, my quest continued for decades culminating in my thoughtful conclusions as follows.
Meaning and purpose are synonymous for some along with discovering their life purpose earlier on. Often with their purpose, being passion fuelled and aligned to their vocation or profession, it becomes the pinnacle of meaning for those individuals.
For others the notion of the pursuit of higher purpose smacks of religious or new age dogma that detracts from the importance of the meaningful activities associated with everyday life; family, social networks (offline), work etc preferring the erudite words from Joseph Campbell, “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
You are still crying out for a passion fuelled purpose? A common issue that I see in training and coaching sessions and one that can be resolved and progressed towards a desired outcome. I will also communicate more on the subject in a future post. Now back to meaning.
Although for many, traditional religion still answers the question of our existence while providing a moral compass to live by we do live in different times of radical and fast change provoking a new wave of questioning.
The increasingly stressful and materialistic lifestyle with a pursuit for worldly possessions and “keeping up with the Joneses” has created a massive upsurge of individuals feeling spiritually bankrupt longing and searching for a transcendental experience and a more fulfilling life. The instant gratification of buying unnecessary stuff, lusting after the latest technology and spending excessive amounts of time on social media is a short-lived moment of gratification and one that many of us now find meaningless.
A significant shift away from our closer involvement with nature has removed us from the immediate awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and our potential to discover the meaning of our existence in a wider context.
Whilst a sense of quiddity, spirituality and a system of values contributes to our well-being and our sense of connection to a wider community, the meaning of life still rests in the hands and beliefs of the individual. The circle of influence, geography, experience, religious or spiritual beliefs or lack thereof and the values of the individual all play a significant role in determining the meaning of life for each of us.
As I say, “You give the meaning to the meaning and that gives it the meaning, if you know what I mean.”
My decade’s long heuristic quest has ended with being happy to embrace the preciousness of life with all its mysteries, marvel at the magnitude of nature and be content to be a piece in a big cosmic jigsaw puzzle. I still love to ask and discuss the big questions however I pin my purpose to the simple values-based creed that I live and work by – “Make a positive difference and be of benefit” and with a call to action to “Create a kinder, more compassionate and happier world.”
Do you believe that the meaning of life will be truly revealed or proven unequivocally? Is the answer 42 or on the other hand will it remain one of life’s phenomenal mysteries?
Over to you.
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