Finding meaning and purpose in life

This world is shot through with mystery. When contemplating this mystery it can be very easy to find yourself lost in a scary world of deep thoughts and questions. However this state of continual questioning can only keep us going so far, eventually we need to find something that gives our lives meaning and keeps us grounded. For some they draw this from religion, spirituality and God. Others draw meaning from science and the quest for knowledge; some even dedicate their lives to accumulating material wealth, sex, politics and fame. Just about anything you can think of someone has made it their life’s purpose.

Some of us are fortunate. We are born with a gift or ability that from the moment we’re born seem to be destined to excel in. I however, am not one of these people. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. My life remains a blurry, unplanned mystery. I’ve been through many phases in my life, from wanting to work in film and television, building and designing sets, acting, writing, personal training, wanting to be a fireman, becoming a cartoonist and currently wanting to study psychology and philosophy. I’ve worked in a pizza place, a video store, a news agent, a casino, a bus factory for a week; I was an electrician for a day, a labourer for 2 weeks and I currently work for a public transport company designing and planning bus routes, ha! Bet you didn’t see that coming. My personal beliefs went from a believer in God, to a fully fledged Christian, to a middle grounded agnostic! I’m probably the most indecisive person I know... I think, I dunno, I’m not really sure.

One of the things I’ve discovered about this uncertainty for one’s life ambition and meaning, Is just how common it is among us all, especially from people of my own generation. So if you ever thought you were alone in the scary unknown search for your life’s “purpose”, fear not! There are many of us! As for those of you who have got this all figured out, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad envious. But unfortunately certainty just isn’t an option for me; I’m yet to come across the instruction manual for my life with all the answers written down for me. So I’m forced to do the only thing I really can, search for meaning and purpose where I can find it. Let the adventure begin!

My problem with the secular world,

Like many, I find the pursuit of material goals very superficial. Unfortunately it seems the secular world today is pushing a lot of emphasis on the self. The value of a person in today’s society seems to gravitate towards personal wealth, how much money you have, your job and how many properties and cars you own. People more and more are sacrificing time with family for financial pursuits and mums and dads work longer hours away from kids just to keep up. People are often judged first hand from their occupation than how they treat others. The heroes we hold up aren’t the great humanitarians of our time, or the great scientists but the wealthy elite, the pop stars and movie actors.

The pressure to be “beautiful” on the outside is everywhere. Supermodels are considered icons and role models simply because they were born with “perfect” features. You can’t walk into a service station or a news agency today without being bombarded with magazines sprawled everywhere in plain view for our little ones to see showboating on their front covers men and woman photoshopped to perfection with unblemished skin and we spend billions of dollars a year on cosmetics while millions of people around the world still don’t have the bare essentials. I’m not the first person to realise this, we all know it. And most of us, including myself, indulge in this mad consumerist lifestyle regardless. Somewhere along the line we got our priorities mixed up!

The value in religion,

As critical as I am of religion, and despite its hesitancy towards change, its fear driving manipulation and its dogma pushing aspects. When stripped down to its core, I believe religion to be about finding meaning outside the “self”. If religion, instead of trying to become the centre of our moral lives, dedicated its energy into exploring spirituality and mysticism (where it does its finest work) and left us to figure out morality for ourselves, instead of shoving it down our throats for all the wrong reasons. I think we would see a great rise in the common interest in spirituality from the secular world.

Here is a great thought from a book I read recently on morality:

“The link between faith and morality, long accepted as part of the essence of religious life, has been challenged... It is good news for morality, as well. Instead of being the special province of paternalistic religious leaders, the power to make enlightened moral choices now passes to each individual, each family and each community. Liberated from the yoke of religious prescription, morality can quite properly be seen as a secular pursuit: we are not going to be ‘good’ because our religious beliefs demand it of us, or because our faith points to reward in heaven, but because we want to work out a way of living that allows us to be at peace with ourselves and each other.” (Right and Wrong: How to decide for yourself)

All human societies all around the world have some form of a religious or spiritual aspect; there must be a reason for this. There must be a reason why we try so desperately hard to reach beyond ourselves to find meaning. In all religions, despite their differences, one common rule can be found. It’s called The Golden rule, to sum it up, “To love others as you love yourself”. I think true meaning in life can be found when we realise that the “self” is a delusion and when we realise the importance of each other. Perhaps then we might find ourselves on the right track.

Finding the middle ground,

If I can’t find meaning in the consumerist life style of the secular world, and am turned off by the restrictive dogmatism of religious institutions. What else is there? Am I forced to wander the earth in a meaningless existence until I finally meet my eminent demise in which I am welcomed by nothingness? I don’t think so.

Maybe there is some middle ground between the constrictiveness of religion and the shallow quest of materialistic pursuits, where some sensibility and true meaning lie. Maybe we could encourage and hand down to our children the beauty of some of the religious teachings of self sacrifice, self respect and compassion along with the freedom, maturity and liberation that accompany secular values. Imagine a world in which we were able to explore spirituality and ultimate meaning free from narrow minds and closed doors, equipped with only our deepest questions and the desire to know the truth. Maybe we don’t have to “pick a side”? Maybe we can have the best both worlds?

Learning to be content,

I’m slowly starting to learn the art of contentment in my life. I like how Saint Paul puts it in his letter to the Philippians:

“...I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4: 11-12)

Contentment, as I understand it, is learning to differentiate between our desires and our needs. No matter what we do, we will always have superficial desires, more money, bigger house, nicer car. While I don’t think it’s necessarily bad to think these things, I do think things need to put in perspective first. These superficial desires will always be with us, we will always want more. The art of contentment is realising this, and coming to terms with the fact that happiness will not come with more things, but true happiness will come when we accept our position in life and focus on our needs such as family, friends, food and shelter. If you’re reading this and you’re ALIVE, then I’m guessing you have what you need in life, if your still unhappy than the problem doesn’t lie with not having enough money or material things, the problem is your perspective! We might not be able to control the circumstances around our life, but we can always control our perspectives.

Where I find meaning,

I suppose if I was to reflect on where I personally draw meaning, it would have to come from others. My family, my friends and the friendly strangers I meet along the way. It’s the people in my life that make it worth living, the people that I share this mysterious journey with and that I can relate with simply because they too are human. I find true joy and meaning in the simple things in life like laughing to the point of tears, listening to music that moves me in ways I’m still not really sure how, discovering new things, searching for answers to hard questions, and of course a glass of red wine (or two). But all of these things would be meaningless if I didn’t have people to share them with. I find value, meaning and comfort in the fact that no matter what happens in life, no matter what this is all about, and no matter what happens when it’s all over, I share the experiences and the journey with others just like me.

Much love

Jason