Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Discovering Meaning in Life

"I had a very powerful internal physical feeling that life was completely meaningless back when I was an atheist. Now I have the opposite feeling deeply in my bones, that every situation, every tiny act and every fleeting moment have meaning far beyond my ability to comprehend. Somehow since developing a partnership with God, this has happened to me. It’s not something I chose. It’s as physical as an adolescent’s developing sexuality. As physical as suicidal depression. It just happened.

I think the meaning of life, rather than being any sort of intellectual left-brained thing, is just this physical feeling, the joy of drawing breath, of looking, of being alive.

How I ache for those who don’t feel it."

Written by Tatiana: Comment #12 from Four Minutes of Meaning - SteveP (By Common Consent)

10 comments:

Joe said...

I can sure relate to you Ray.

Paul said...

It's funny how powerful this idea is--that a person's belief is "not something they chose" and that it is as real as "an adolescent's developing sexuality."

What makes it funny is that people who accept such an unchosen reality in this context may be the same people who fight it tooth and nail when applied to its opposing circumstance. Belief can come to us unbidden, but disbelief? No, no, disbelief is a choice we make.

And while I'm advocating for the devil, many atheists discover a new, deeper appreciation for life's importance at the same time they recognize their disbelief in God. If this life is all we have, to some it matters more, not less, how it is spent. Indeed, many caring atheists "ache" for those who rely on religion to establish meaning in their world.

Papa D said...

I agree, Paul. It's fascinating how meaning is gained or found or appears in people's lives - and how widely that meaning varies.

Anonymous said...

The OP is wonderful.I rejoice that a soul is having such a transformative experience.But Paul, that was a useful corrective.In spite of my deep love for God,life has lost meaning for me since I became sick.As a believer in better things,I find it hard to stick around-to do so is an act of faith. I realise that things can run along perfectly well without me,and this sense of my disposability doesn't help.Though,on the bright side,I'd never have met you guys.Just have to keep counting my many blessings.Um,sorry to be a downer.

Paul said...

That kind of strengthens my point, Anon. We're all disposable--that is a gloomy truth, but still a truth--but there are contributions in this world that are uniquely yours.

Bringing you down isn't my aim, but what if we're wrong about God? What if this life is all we have? What then? Fight like hell to enjoy every last drop of joy this life offers, that's what!

Thinking eternally can have a positive impact on our behavior, but it can also negatively affect our determination to live our lives deliberately, no matter how much longer we have. For as long as I'm alive, I intend to be alive.

Anonymous said...

i used to be very passionate and would have leant my life for the ones i loved, until the ones that i deeply felt what i can imigine people's understanding to be love have passed away.
for me to be still a teenager and live in this world which can be precieved to be anything for anyone it has been hard to identify myself with any sinificance nor anyone else in the same respect.

from the personal traits i can confidently say that i take the viewpoint of an agnostic person, coming back to the point... that i do not belive that a super being (god) exist based on the evidence in this paradigm, but in saying this i do not refute the idea of others who believe that there is a 'god' wether it is allah(muslim), father of jesus (christinity) nor i dont refute what scientologists believe.

my only way of showing my relatives and friends (and strangers) emotions such as happiness, feeling sad or being angry had been through me acting those expression because i cannot feel those emotions 'anymore' (but i cannot rule out self repression of these emotions).

this makes me more confident, i have made the interactions between my relatives more effective etc, thus gained good attributes, even though this have been good i have this emptyness of looking for myself, and this desperation for the search for something continues which is hard to find, can it be god?............................................................................................................................

para said...

i used to be very passionate and would have leant my life for the ones i loved, until the ones that i deeply felt what i can imigine people's understanding to be love have passed away. for me to be still a teenager and live in this world which can be precieved to be anything for anyone it has been hard to identifying myself with any sinificance nor anyone else in the same respect.

from the traits i can confidently say that i take the viewpoint of an agnostic person, coming back to the point... that i do not belive that a super being (god) exist based on the evidence in this paradigm, but in saying this i do not refute the idea of others who believe that there is a 'god'.

my only way of showing my relatives and friends (and strangers) emotions such happiness, feeling sad or being angry had been through me acting those expression because i cannot feel those emotions 'anymore' (but i cannot rule out self repression of these emotions).

this makes me more confident, i have made the interactions between my relatives more effective etc, thus gained good attributes, even though this have been good i have this emptyness of looking for myself, and this desperations for the search for something hard to find can it be god?

Christy said...

Paul, perhaps we should "live our lives deliberately" BECAUSE of God...to make the most out of this opportunity He has given us, to do the most good, to give the most service, to love the most and best that we can.

Andrew S said...

I have to say...when I originally saw this post, I didn't know how quite to respond to it. But then when Paul commented, I think he put it in a great ay. I agree with his comments -- it seems to me that belief, disbelief, "meaning", whatever, are all not things we choose. Rather, we 'fall' into them. The problem is when we try to force ourselves to fit in with what brings others' joy -- we try to be something we're not (and so the dissonance tears at us)...so ultimately, regardless of where they land, I hope people find where they are comfortable.

My main wonder would be: how strange is it that people are so different that they can find peace in such contradictory systems. So we can't say, "This religion is right for everyone," or "atheism is right for everyone," because really, different people have different needs (even though it seems that all of these systems can't be simultaneously true.)

Paul said...

Christy, I don't know if there is a "wrong" motivation for doing the right thing, so I'd never complain if God becomes the reason for some people. But I do believe extrinsic motivations to be weaker and more easily corrupted than intrinsic ones. When we teach our children that God is the motive power for morality or ethics, what happens when they doubt God?

Here's a little blasphemy: Teach children to act for themselves before they act for God. Teach them to trust the arm of their own flesh. No matter what else they question, they need to have faith in their ability to choose ethically with or without an idea of God to guide their actions.