The Meaning of Life
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by James Rick
Events are neutral. It is the interpretation / perception of events that colors them positive or negative. The meaning of life is what you make it.
THE SOURCE OF MEANING
From your perspective you judge the good and the bad. If you kill an annoying fly – is that bad? To the fly, yes. For you, no. You will no longer be annoyed by the fly. To a third party – they may not care either way – to them it is neither good nor bad, it simply is (a neutral event). This means meaning is relative to the observer. I’ll say that again – meaning is relative to the observer.
ISN’T FLEXIBLE MEANING DANGEROUS?
You might be asking yourself, is meaning really that flexible – isn’t that quite dangerous? Couldn’t someone twist meaning around no matter what the event? Yes they could and history is rife with examples.
What does a geographical shape mean? (It could be a Nazi symbol or a harmless logo)
What does a cloud mean? (It could be water condensation or the face of an angel)
What does a crashing window mean? (It could be a robbery in progress or a fallen tree limb)
HOW YOUR BRAIN CREATES MEANING
First it attempts to understand the concept or idea (example: meaning is what you make it) – then it attempts to decipher the meaning behind it (example: this is a dangerous idea).
The two ingredients for learning:
(1) the concept / idea and
(2) the meaning
Now here’s where it gets interesting – if the initial concept or idea (or event) is wrongly interpreted the meaning will have no basis in reality.
Ten people can witness the same event and come away with ten different meanings. The facts of what were observed will remain fairly consistent (she was wearing red, she had a gun, etc.) – but what it means could be different entirely (he deserved it, she was wrong, etc.).
Now notice I said IF the initial concept is wrongly interpreted – this is assuming there IS a right interpretation. For example in the realm of human affairs we know there is ‘right’ interpretations of body language, or voice tone, etc. But in more abstract realms like art or a literature there may be no ‘right’ interpretation. And in most cases outside the realm of human affairs there is no ‘right’ interpretation – there is only WHAT IS (a neutral event).
So we have human affairs where meaning has great relevance and importance. And we have everything else outside of human affairs where meaning is technically absent. Yet here’s the interesting thing about the human brain: even where there is no meaning the brain will create meaning.
THE BRAIN CREATES MEANING
Yes, this means the brain takes it limited information and mostly makes stuff up. There is no way on Earth the brain could possibly learn all there is to know about reality – so it learns enough to draw conclusions and uses these ‘rules’ of reality as guidelines for it’s experience.
This is why the truly wise know that they know nothing. They know enough to function but they are always one step away from truly knowing reality – because most of what they know is a self generated experience. The brain has clouded them (the observer) with a self generated reality – a reality full of meanings that may or may not be ‘true’ in the greater context of the universe. And rather than seeking to gather more information that will enable it to form accurate meanings it spends a greater deal of time seeking information to support the meanings that could be false. In short the brain says, “I believe, now I need information to support this belief.” Far more often than it says, “I don’t know what to believe, I need to learn more.” Perhaps it does this as a survival technique better suited for earlier times. For the brain it might be better to have a belief that might be false than to have no belief at all. Still the fact remains – most beliefs are self generated reality.
The question is – which beliefs are accurate and which are false?
Again as a general rule: In the realm of human affairs
(1) Most concepts / ideas/ events / behaviors, etc. have a right interpretation
(2) There can be a right or wrong meaning
In the realms outside of human affairs:
(1) Most natural and universal forces have no right interpretation
(2) There cannot be a right or wrong meaning
In the first case, in the realm of human affairs- Example: Someone sends you a card on an agreed upon holiday (event) therefore they must love or care for you (meaning). The beliefs you form about your reality are generally accurate. (Of course even human based reality can get more complicated as humans tend to mask intentions and one must become socially and emotionally intelligent to peel back the layers of human reality – nevertheless there can be a right or wrong in the realm of human affairs.)
In the second case, in realms outside of human affairs- Example: Lightening strikes a tree and it comes crashing down on the head of a dear family member (neutral event). God must have cursed them (meaning). The meanings derived from the natural / supernatural forces are generally created, have no basis of right or wrong and become self projected realities. Other examples: A lucky blanket. A devastating flood. A missed plane that then goes down.
The belief that somehow ‘karma’ (the residual effects from past and current life) is somehow associated with natural / supernatural events is a way to explain what we consider ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in human affairs. Of course human beings need some kind of explanation for things otherwise they cannot learn from them. (Remember the two ingredients for learning: concept + meaning)
Now when a person dies – on a universal level that is the most natural and normal thing in the world and accidents simply happen. But in the realm of human affairs death is significant with ‘good’ and ‘bad’ connected with death. For the person that died, death simply happened. To those whom the person was close the death is something to be dealt with / learned from.
What I’m describing here is neither good nor bad. Why? Because It is an objective description of human affairs. But if we enter the realm of human affairs you might say what I’m writing is bad because it is a cold approach to death. Or you might say it is good because it frees a person up to move on. Again the meaning you place on my description depends on where you are at in your life. Meaning is relative.
ALL MEANING IS RELATIVE
What is the meaning of water? Water could mean life to a plant. Or it could mean a drink of water to someone who is thirsty. Or it could mean death to those who are drowned by it. Or it could mean the season has changed for those who see it as rain. Or it could mean the tide has risen or fallen to those standing on the shore. Or it could mean absolutely nothing if nothing observes it.
In this example the water stays the same but the meaning of the water shifts in each scenario depending on who is observing it and in what context.
First it attempts to understand the concept or idea (meaning is what you make it) – then it attempts to decipher the meaning behind it (this is a dangerous idea).
MEANING USING ‘THE ZOOM IN / ZOOM OUT’ METHOD
Another way of understanding the realm of human affairs versus the realm of the universe is through what I often refer to as the “Zoom In / Zoom Out” method.
Zooming In
The zoomed in perspective of course is inside the realm of human affairs. This is where all events have meaning. And even if we understand that logically a storm that kills our best friend simply is – we will still experience the human emotions of pain and sadness. We will still be very much apart of the human drama while we are human. No matter how wise you become, there really is no escape from experiencing the pains of the human drama unless you are no longer human. But you do not have to remain zoomed in and magnify an already ‘bad’ situation. You can zoom out and see the bigger picture and by doing so the full meaning is open to you.
Zooming Out
Zooming out in times of difficult human experiences enables you to deal with the human drama on one level, but to also see the bigger picture on another. It allows your awareness to feel the fire without getting burned. But not only is it useful from the perspective of pain / pleasure. When you look at things zoomed out and objectively it allows you to see things more clearly. This perspective enables you to make better long term progress.
In short: Being zoomed in allows you to feel more. Being zoomed out allows you to see more. A balance of the two is an important part of being human.
IN SUMMARY
1) You are the source of meaning
2) Meaning is based on interpretation of a concept / idea / event / behavior / etc.
3) In the realm of human affairs, most concepts / ideas / events / behaviors / etc. have a right or a wrong / a good and bad which allow accurate & useful meanings to form.
4) In the realm of universal affairs, natural events have no right or wrong, no good or bad – they simply are. Meaning formed out of these events are human attempts to explain or understand that which is beyond human understanding.
5) You can use this knowledge to:
A – Become more socially and emotionally intelligent in human affairs
B – Become more open minded about neutral events
C -Transform meanings and beliefs that cause unnecessary suffering.
D – Re-interpret events so that the meanings may aid you in a positive way.
Ultimately, knowledge of how meaning is formed gives you freedom to play with your reality.
3 Responses to “The Meaning of Life”
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December 22nd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
[...] The Meaning of Life [...]
December 26th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Hi James,
Hermeneutics or Philology flaunts the beatitude of interpretation. Each human being is considered a PERSON and that makes him incomparable. How he thinks is basically subservient or enslaved to his Epistemological realms. But whether we like it or not, though there can be different interpretations of a thing or a situation, what matters most is that each interpretation is founded by logical paradigms which when explicated can enshroud pragmatic TRUTHS.
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Zooming in and zooming out is comparable to my principle about the telescope. Let me elucidate on a palpable example. If a manager has a situation to deal in the office and must have been subdued because of inadequacy of experience or incapacity to provide solution, he can simply send his resignation letter and bid goodbye to the company. On the other hand, the manager can look at the situation as an opportunity to grow and learn by overcoming if not undercoming it with flamboyance.
The first scenario is a manager looking at the objective lens (lens with longest focal length) of the telescope which makes the object being focused smaller in size. The situation for the manager becomes a problem.
In the second scenario, the manager is looking at the eyepiece (lens with the shortest focal length) of the telescope which makes the object being focused closer and bigger in size. The situation for the manager becomes an OPPORTUNITY.
How we see the situation is a matter of choice on what part of the telescope we want to look at.
…………….
What then is the significance of relativity?
Relativity is semantics in a nutshell. It is the melting pot or microcosm of opinions that showcases the magnanimity of wisdom of human beings.
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As for the meaning of life, Harold B. Lee once said,”Life is God’s gift to man, what man does with his life is his gift to God.”
Sincerely,
Stephen V. Casio
December 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am
you can make sure that you are on the track always by interpreting things in a very positive way i.e. all events are conspiring to help you to succeed!