The Meaning of Life in the Questions

Souce: unknowledgetree.com

“All my life I struggled to stretch my mind to the breaking point, until it began to creak, in order to create a great thought which might be able to give a new meaning to life, a new meaning to death, and to console mankind.” (Nikos Kazantzakis)

The famous poet T.S. Elliot once recounted a story of when he stepped into a London taxi.   The driver recognized him, so Elliot asked him how he knew.   ‘I’ve got an eye for a celebrity,’ the driver replied.   ‘Only the other evening I picked up (philosopher) Bertrand Russell, and I said to him, “Well, Lord Russell, what’s it all about?”   And, do you know, he couldn’t tell me.”

The question stumped one of the most famous philosophers of the 20th century, yet we continue to ask it:   what is the meaning of life?

We continue to ask it in the hope that there is someone out there who has the answer.   Life needs to be meaningful, we reason, and so we follow different paths in our search for that meaning.   Even when we think we have a possible answer; we continue to ask more questions.   And that’s not a bad thing.   In asking questions, we may not always discover the answers but it leads us onto a path towards understanding.

As children, one of the most persistent questions we asked was, ‘Why?’   As adults we continue asking; we want to know what things are and why they are.   Aristotle said this desire is universal, as all people by nature desire to find answers.   Why are we here?   What is the purpose of human life?   Throughout the course of history, many philosophers have attempted to answer these questions.   But as Charlie Brown discovered, in the book of life, the answers aren’t always in the back!

King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, concluded that human wisdom was ultimately meaningless.   Even our wealth and prestige could not prevent our experiencing life’s pain and difficulties.

Thomas Merton said that fear of the unknown is the mark of spiritual insecurity:   ‘It is the fruit of unanswered questions.   But questions cannot go unanswered unless they first be asked.’   And that, of course, is often our problem – being afraid to ask the right questions in case they turn out to be unanswerabl.

The 19th century English pastor Phillip Brooks believed that the greatest danger people faced was that they ‘may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning, miss its deepest and most aiding happiness, and be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the presence of God.’

According to Richard Rohr, in his book Everything belongs, the reason for this failure to perceive life’s meaning is circular:  we are unable to attain the presence of God because we are already totally in his presence.   Rohr also believes we have nothing to gain or even learn.   Conversely, he says, there are certain things, we need to ‘unlearn’.   And that includes assuming all our questions about life must be answered.

It’s no secret that the mysteries of God and our existence are far greater than we are able to comprehend.   The 14th century French thinker Nicolas d’Oresme once observed: ‘We’re a grain of dust on a grain of dust on a grain of dust.   And yet we have the intellect to contemplate all this!’

Perhaps John of the Cross was right when he paradoxically observed, ‘We begin to understand more by not understanding than by understanding’.   Even though understanding eludes us, questioning the meaning of life demands our attention and reflection.   This sense of wonder at the goodness and beauty around us may prompt us to ask if all this is merely a random, physical phenomenon, or if there is a reason, a purpose for our existence?   One answer is that we live because we have a will to live.   We possess an inherent, self-preservation instinct that drives us onwards.

Different religious traditions have arrived at variations of a similar answer.   Buddhists believe the secret of life is in part, to concentrate on the present moment.   Mahatma Ghandi believed the secret was to live as if you were to die tomorrow and yet learn to live as if you were going to live forever.   Jesus taught us that the secret of life is to love God and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.   Maybe, the answer to all our questions about the meaning of life is simply to relax and just quietly and patiently allow the transforming rhythm of God to show us the way

Peggy Spencer is an active member of her parish church, St. John the Baptist, in Fern Tree Gully near Melbourne, Australia. Though not a "professional" writer, Peggy has always loved writing.

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2 Comments
  • Peter Bisson
    Posted at 08:22h, 05 August Reply

    Thank you Peggy!

  • Maria Skarzynski
    Posted at 11:52h, 05 August Reply

    Most interesting Peggy !!

Post A Reply to Maria Skarzynski Cancel Reply

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