Pressing on with the meaning of life

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Pressing on with the meaning of life

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by Carl Baydala

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Dear Friends. Take a look at the above picture and tell me what you see. Take your time and think about it and what it means to man and to yourself. Actually, you could look at any picture and you will find that different meanings would emerge for different people.

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That meaning of course lays at the basis of the meaning of life. What is meaning? An honest question so let us attempt to answer it. Meaning for me is the understanding or wanting to know the reason why we are here and what are purpose is on being here. This is the most broadest of the term meaning of course and the one that should occupy the mind of a man wanting to know the most profound question of all. This is the boundless question of the ages of man; he simply doesn't know why he was born and where is going, if anywhere, after all is said and done.

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What are the tools of man's enquiry or what aids him in his understanding of things. The answer is nothing but his surroundings; there is nothing else to go on; it is all he has and he has no more. For any gods and ideas that he has created to explain things for him came out of his mind, and nowhere else. And, so let us examine our picture once again. What do you see?

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I see a building, some trees, some other structures and a sky that is fading into darkness. That is all there is and that is all there will ever be for man. His environment is his knowledge and there are no more aids to discovery; these are his aids to his formulations of meaning.

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A darkening sky informs man that his day is ending, and that hopefully, there will be another one to take its place; that is his dream at least, if he is interested in the business of living, that is. If he is living a satisfying life and if he is healthy then the darkening sky is of no concern to the man - it is a good thing and it is beautiful in its manifestation. A man plagued by doubt, however, or one injured by society in some way might not look too kindly upon the scene in front of him. Maybe he sees the tall structure as something being created by his enemies who would control him and hold him back from any potential that he may have. Perhaps, he thinks he does not have any potential at all and would simply be a harsh critic to the scene in front of him. The proud building and glorious twighlight would be neither of things ( neither glorious or or proud ), except they would remind him that another day is coming and it would most likely be just like the one that he is finishing; another day of agony and complaining about his station in life.

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And, yet another man would stand in awe at this picture and know that man has the potential to build tall and handsome buildings. Inside that building are people happy at their work and being productive citizens and contributing to society. They most likely drive cars and own their own homes and are happy and industrious. Or maybe they are students looking forward to a prosperous career and getting married and living happily ever after.

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Dear friends, a picture is worth a thousand words and never was a wiser phrase brought into being. The meaning of life is what you make it to be and it can be no other way. What you see is what you get. You might see good and you might see evil in the picture, but if you are alive at least you are able to see something. And, that is the meaning and purpose of life; it is the ability to know that something exists and for every man to be able to provide a meaning for it. And, that meaning I think all would agree is something that the human mind contrives, and that formulation of something that we call meaning is a combination of things which are entirely personal. No one has the same kind of meaning as another. Who is to say that God did not create the above scene for us as prescribed by his Divine nature and purposes? And, who is to say that a man sees in this picture what his mind tells him to see, completely unaided by anything remotedly called a god? Why would a god allow some men to see good in the picture while allowing other men to see bad?

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I think if we are seeking meaning we need to look beyond the idea of gods and what they can accomplish. We are not categorically denying the existence of a Supreme Being, but we are saying that there are more options available. And, one of those options is to say that meaning is a very personal thing indeed. I think the human animal is a true testament to this reality; we are not all created the same way at all; we see differently and we learn differently. But, what we learn is our meaning and it is no one elses. So, dear friends, even the man who would criticize the picture as an example of an injustice has something which no one can lay claim to - and that is his individuality. His individuality is the true source of his meaning. The purpose ( if any ) and meaning of life is going to found within the confines of mens' minds. I think we might start here to become more knowledgeable about this business of meaning. That is my recommendation at least for what it is worth to you.

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