|
by Asoka Selvarajah, Ph.D
The greatest challenge we face in our lives is
the Search for Meaning. What is life really about? What are we really here to do?
These are big questions. Nobody can pretend to have the answers for anyone else.
As Viktor Frankl once said, it is like asking a Chess Grandmaster what THE best move in
the game of Chess is. The answer is - it depends. It depends on the specifics of who is
playing whom, the situation on the board, and a myriad other factors. Likewise, the
answers to these questions depend upon the person who is asking them.
Nevertheless, it's vital that you seek the specific answers for your individual
life. Without true meaning to your life, anything you do or become is ultimately hollow
and without any depth of satisfaction. However long it takes, the answers must be found.
The esteemed psychiatrist, Dr. Viktor Frankl, founded an entire school of
psychotherapy, Logotherapy, based on this idea. Its fundamental principle is that the many
and profound psychological problems people face in our modern world - including severe
neuroses - arise from a lack of true life meaning. The pursuit of pleasure and the
avoidance of pain are NOT the only motivators of human activity. Rather, the Search for
Meaning is vitally important to healthy human life.
The Modern Dilemma - A Meaningless Existence
Of course, a lack of meaning is very easy to develop. We live in an ever-growing
population where competition for jobs, life partners, wealth and social status is the
norm. The sheer multitudes of people overwhelm us and make us feel small. The countless
numbers who suffer and die in horrific wars around the globe teach us subliminally that
the value of human life is not as high as we had hoped. The myriad ways in which we are
treated like statistics by our governments lead us to believe that we are unimportant and
don't count. Instead of developing our unique talents to the unbelievable levels we are
truly capable of, we prefer to continually compare ourselves to others. Thus, we don't
even bother to begin the works that could bring us so much joy.
The majority of people don't know why they are alive, nor do they trouble to
give it much thought. Yet, a life without meaning is surely unbearable in the final
analysis. This is why so many people die within a few short years of retirement. It's why
the unemployed feel dreadfully depressed and worthless. It's also why some fabulously
wealthy and famous individuals are desperately unhappy.
The Subtle Trap of Counterfeit Meaning
The Search For Meaning is vital precisely because without it, you fall prey to
the lure of "counterfeit" meanings. If you make no effort to discover the
meaning of your individual life, you thereby play host to an existential vacuum at the
very core of your being. You exist, but you really don't know why. Whilst every member of
the Animal Kingdom knows and fulfils its purpose perfectly, nobody can tell you what the
purpose of your own human existence is, let alone how to perfectly fulfil it.
A vacuum is always filled. This is where the problem of counterfeit meaning
comes in. In the absence of the true meaning and purpose of our lives, the vacuum will be
filled with something else. By doing so, you quiet that tiny voice that entreats you to
search your soul. Instead, you busy yourself with this counterfeit meaning and expand it
until it fills your life. In this way, you need not be troubled anymore or concern
yourself with why you exist in the first place. You feel more comfortable; at least for a
while.
What are these counterfeits? They are many and varied; as various as there are
people in the world. One person creates meaning through making the sole pursuit of Wealth
a worthwhile objective. A career is then commenced that gives little satisfaction, does
not resonate with the inner core of that individual, and leads to unhappiness, and even
neurosis. Another person fills the vacuum with relationships, and all the consequent
obligations and responsibilities. Although the relationships may be frustrating or even
abusive, that person will move from one such cycle of suffering to another precisely
because they appear to fill the vacuum of meaning and purpose. Yet another may convert to
a fundamentalist religion which, through representing daily life as a war of Light against
Darkness, gives instant validity, meaning and purpose to the life of the new zealot.
In fact, almost every major project we take on could potentially generate
"counterfeit meaning" if we refuse to face the essential questions of our basic
existence FIRST. The job you worked so hard at failed to deliver. The relationship you
really believed in broke your heart, despite your very best efforts. The major business
investment you made deflated your hopes. You are left depressed, broken, and wondering
what life is even about. In many instances, it is less important to wonder what went wrong
with these projects, as to ask why you ever engaged in them in the first place, and what
you had hoped to achieve by doing so.
It is only when all the activities of our lives are integrated into a Master
Plan that they can hope to operate coherently and make any overall sense. Without the
existence of such a Master Plan, our activities actually become the Master Plan itself!
They appear to give meaning to our lives but in fact do not. Instead, they give partial
meaning. They occupy our thoughts and actions. They answer the needs of parts of our
psyche at the expense of others.
This is often the true source of self-sabotage - having goals that do not
satisfy the whole of our being at the deepest level. When we sacrifice one part of our
inner psyche's legitimate desires for the sake of another, we create internal frustration
and even repression. This manifests in lack of internal coherence. When every part of us
is not working harmoniously to achieve our conscious objective, and some parts may
actively be working against it, internal chaos will eventually result. Even if we do
attain the goal, it will not satisfy us.
The Quest For Meaning
What can we do? The search for authentic meaning in our lives is a huge task,
but the sooner it is begun the better. It means truly believing that you manifested in the
world for a purpose; a purpose only you can truly achieve. You must dedicate yourself to
finding that purpose. You may have to accept that the cause for your present sufferings
and disappointments may be that you accepted a cheap substitute - a counterfeit meaning -
and made this the primary focus of your life. It may mean unraveling years or even decades
of activity that once seemed so central to your existence. You may need to make some big
sacrifices - the end of a relationship or a job.
Whatever it means, the creation of a Master Plan is essential. Each of us needs
to know what our life is about. Our activities and projects then naturally emerge from
that and are coherent with it. All too often, it is the other way around. We seek our
meaning from our external activities, and then wonder why the consequences of this
strategy turns out so badly.
Ultimately, the Search for Meaning is about taking responsibility for your life.
It is about becoming a master of life rather than a passive participant. It is about
acknowledging that you are a creator of your existence, and realizing that you are here
for a specific and unique purpose. You can then actively direct the whole of your life to
manifesting that purpose in your everyday reality. This is where meaning comes from. This
is what happiness is all about.
Copyright 2000, Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved. Published by permission
by the Light and Life Express www.lightandlife.com
Dr. Asoka Selvarajah is an active writer/researcher on personal development and
esoteric spirituality. Asoka's work helps people achieve their full potential, deepen
their understanding of mystical truth, and find joy in their true soul's purpose.
Subscribe to his FREE ezine, Aspire To Wisdom, and receive his brand new E-Book
"Inner Light Outer Wealth" for FREE at: http://www.aksworld.com/AspireToWisdom.htm?LLJO
You can visit his website at
http://www.aksworld.com?LLJO
|
