I ponder this everyday since leaving Christianity behind 2 years ago. I am more at peace, content, and happy than before. The “apocalyptic” known ending of everything was equally unsatisfying and quite ridiculous.
Meaning and purpose have become rather blurry. The primary purpose of life, of course, is to live. That’s easy. To give life meaning though, one has to find it in within the confines of their individual personality type.
As you suggest, we seem to be preprogrammed with one, to use a computer analogy. The world around us is the architecture. Our body, the hard drive. But it remains an analogy, not to be taken too literally.
I suspect (not believe) that the answer is, like most things, somewhere in between. Not completely free or unfree. I am free to do all things the architecture (reality) permits.
It is more than I can ever experience in a single lifetime and exceeds my capacity to comprehend. I am LIMITED. I cannot do the impossible. I can’t jump to the moon or unmake myself. But I don’t lack choice entirely, and for practical purposes, those I can make are unlimited.
Perhaps meaning is to be found by becoming. When I consider all the people I know and have known, they all had so much potential. Like you said, we all have the ability to work out, eat healthy, get an education…
But only a few chose behaviors that would fundamentally impact their existence in consistently positive ways. Most did not. Sure, personality affects this, but the choice remains theirs.
What is the best version of yourself and who decides? Can I say, “Man, you really SHOULD be doing XYZ? Or should I say COULD? Should I say anything at all? They retain the freedom to do or not do, but reality rewards doers with consistently better outcomes.
I’m hardly set on the matter, but lean toward meaning being tied to WILLINGLY becoming the best version of yourself. Oddly, that can only be determined by the individual. Potential can remain just that, unrealized.
But maybe that’s the key to the code, similar to an AI that begins self learning. We must self improve to expand meaning. If we don’t, then life has little meaning, it was a wasted opportunity, unrealized potential.
Struggle, make your gates on time, catch the next flight to more meaning. I choose virtue, wisdom, and discipline, not because I have to, but because I will to. I explored other models, but this one has the best chance of success. Sure it’s subjective, but objectively is beyond us and is typically arrived at through group consensus.
In the end, I cannot KNOW, but I can continue to seek. And I do BELIEVE there is an optimal way in which each person can do this, but it is personal and unique. A journey. Death is our final great mystery, but I will not at all be surprised if it is the start of a new one.
Sometimes I think that multiple(all) religions can be true. Saying that only 1 can be true is very human like thinking. Maybe everybody receives the end 'reward' as they imagine it.
Many religions share similar elements. But each religion in its totality, by definition must reject all other religions. If a religion accepts other religions as valid then it ceases to be a religion itself.
Agree on the principle. I talk about the idea that if I would set up a life simulation I would let every simulated member have their transcendental future as they imagine it. So while they reject each other at the end all could have their truth to be the final 'winner'
A question of will
Very well written! Plus I am in complete agreement with you!
Thank you, John
I ponder this everyday since leaving Christianity behind 2 years ago. I am more at peace, content, and happy than before. The “apocalyptic” known ending of everything was equally unsatisfying and quite ridiculous.
Meaning and purpose have become rather blurry. The primary purpose of life, of course, is to live. That’s easy. To give life meaning though, one has to find it in within the confines of their individual personality type.
As you suggest, we seem to be preprogrammed with one, to use a computer analogy. The world around us is the architecture. Our body, the hard drive. But it remains an analogy, not to be taken too literally.
I suspect (not believe) that the answer is, like most things, somewhere in between. Not completely free or unfree. I am free to do all things the architecture (reality) permits.
It is more than I can ever experience in a single lifetime and exceeds my capacity to comprehend. I am LIMITED. I cannot do the impossible. I can’t jump to the moon or unmake myself. But I don’t lack choice entirely, and for practical purposes, those I can make are unlimited.
Perhaps meaning is to be found by becoming. When I consider all the people I know and have known, they all had so much potential. Like you said, we all have the ability to work out, eat healthy, get an education…
But only a few chose behaviors that would fundamentally impact their existence in consistently positive ways. Most did not. Sure, personality affects this, but the choice remains theirs.
What is the best version of yourself and who decides? Can I say, “Man, you really SHOULD be doing XYZ? Or should I say COULD? Should I say anything at all? They retain the freedom to do or not do, but reality rewards doers with consistently better outcomes.
I’m hardly set on the matter, but lean toward meaning being tied to WILLINGLY becoming the best version of yourself. Oddly, that can only be determined by the individual. Potential can remain just that, unrealized.
But maybe that’s the key to the code, similar to an AI that begins self learning. We must self improve to expand meaning. If we don’t, then life has little meaning, it was a wasted opportunity, unrealized potential.
Struggle, make your gates on time, catch the next flight to more meaning. I choose virtue, wisdom, and discipline, not because I have to, but because I will to. I explored other models, but this one has the best chance of success. Sure it’s subjective, but objectively is beyond us and is typically arrived at through group consensus.
In the end, I cannot KNOW, but I can continue to seek. And I do BELIEVE there is an optimal way in which each person can do this, but it is personal and unique. A journey. Death is our final great mystery, but I will not at all be surprised if it is the start of a new one.
I am oddly more comfortable not actually knowing.
Indeed. In the end, we are not afforded the grave of knowing. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe knowing the truth is not good.
Sometimes I think that multiple(all) religions can be true. Saying that only 1 can be true is very human like thinking. Maybe everybody receives the end 'reward' as they imagine it.
Many religions share similar elements. But each religion in its totality, by definition must reject all other religions. If a religion accepts other religions as valid then it ceases to be a religion itself.
Agree on the principle. I talk about the idea that if I would set up a life simulation I would let every simulated member have their transcendental future as they imagine it. So while they reject each other at the end all could have their truth to be the final 'winner'