I bought a book several years ago that was published by Esquire entitled “The Meaning of Life (Wit, Wisdom and Wonder from 65 Extraordinary People).” I thought it would be interesting to hear what these people had to say about the question “What is the meaning of life?” The people interviewed range from pop culture musicians, political leaders, business people, actors, etc. The criteria Esquire used to decide who is “Extraordinary”, and that which I choose to use, is vastly different. Mostly, the people interviewed did not really answer the question at all, and the book proved to be disappointing. It is mostly just a lot of opinions about different things, and some vague philosophical axioms.
People will say that they want to know the meaning of life. As long as that thought remains an abstract, we are fine and unchallenged, and we can feel smug and enlightened for our desire for that quest. I am amused by people who say they are going on a journey to find themselves. All I had to do was look in the mirror. “I am going to find myself. Oh, wait. Never mind. I am right here.”
We are proud to proclaim our quest. If you say you want to know the meaning of life, and you are being truthful, (not just saying it to sound intellectual- to impress others), then you must believe that the meaning of life is a real and knowable thing, not simply an abstraction. We must not think of it as something we make up to suit our own fancy, or it means nothing. Some people who say they are looking for truth really are not. They just get an adrenaline rush from spouting their opinions and arguing.
The problem with actually finding out the meaning of life (ultimate reality, as I like to say), is that it may very well contradict your current ideas and perceptions. It may challenge your life paradigm. This means that you will either have to change, pretend you don’t understand it and ignore it and say life has no meaning (nihilism), or spend the rest of your life arguing against the truth that you said you wanted to know, and justifying that argument by wrapping it in some philosophical, ideological, or political rhetoric, all of which seems way too exhausting of a task for me.
So before you say you want to know the meaning of life, (save the book money for something more worthwhile, like a pet rock), you had better be prepared to receive an answer that you may not like and/or agree with. And you better be prepared to do something with what you discover.
Danny's Stump 