7th Branch In the presence of Meaning

This branch, the presence of meaning, will in a sense, brings us back to the question of meaning itself and how it can reach into the depths of being, transforming our thoughts & emotions identifying the tangible power that a life focused on meaning possesses. The goal is that we will hopefully be able to build on what has already been learned piecing together both the intellectual as well as the emotional components of a life growing in the attainment of Wisdom. This Wisdom is what we identify in those who understand the significance of a life centered on purposeful pursuits in which the character of meaning is integral to one's thinking, actions and even personality.

Let's do a quick review:

We began our ascent into the meaning tree with the problem of the question of meaning and learned that purpose & meaning are related but do serve different functions
We then identified the personality or character of meaning considering its unavoidable inherent hierarchy of value and its multifaceted, deeply personal, yet, universal nature.
Through establishing the importance of the role of choice in the pursuit of meaning we were hopefully made aware of the need for thoughtful and purposeful living.
We also considered the importance process in the pursuit of meaning and how to shape our decision making and priorities in life.
These first four branches got us high enough on the tree for considering the importance of our ‘place' in life, also referred to as, ‘our lot in life’.
The power of meaning turned us inward to that deeply personal place in our souls and considers the many obstacles and challenges that we encounter in the inner war of thought.

In this branch we will consider:

The stories of five historical figures and their impact on the question of meaning
The roots of spirituality and the role of religion in the pursuit of purpose & meaning
The problem of being spiritual without the foundation of religion
The role of science in our understanding of transcendence
The significance of true 'open-mindedness' and willingness to change
Final choices in the pursuit of meaning

A step towards the eternal

“One true life is not this external, material life that passes before our eyes here on earth, but the inner life of our spirit, for which the visible life serves only as a scaffolding – a necessary aid to our spiritual growth.”
Leo Tolstoy The One True Thing p-15

If we again return to the beginning, in which we evoked a metaphor of children climbing a tree, we are now perhaps ready to glean insights which will help us complete the imagery . We have thus far identified the various features of the pursuit of meaning as a branch by branch endeavor, each branch finding its strength and unity in the long established relationships and history of the tree's trunk and roots However, there is more to the significance of relationships than the tree itself symbolizes. Moreover, it is not just about those ambitious enough to commit to the ascent or the way in which the climb is attempted and executed. Almost any child has enough common sense not to attempt a tree climb in the dark. The light of day is nearly an essential factor in attempting a climb and it would probably be of little enjoyment anyway. Ironically, the tree itself requires light for photosynthesis for food. No light no tree. The point I am getting at here is there are certain non-negotiable features of trees, the experience of climbing as well as life itself that we often are not even aware of. In the pursuit of meaning there are likewise non-negotiable features that are commonly forgotten, but we will consider now.

After the consideration of the many practical features of purposeful living we are perhaps now ready to consider some of the transcendent qualities of the pursuit of meaning. I am here admitting and asserting that without, at the very least, some consideration of the transcendent, we will have no way to grasp the fundamentals of meaning, or assess its role, its significance in life. Put simply, we would be as children trying to climb a tree in complete darkness.This in no way implies that much of what we identified in the first six branches concerning purpose and its role in the pursuit of meaning does not apply to those who do not understand or accept the transcendent, spiritual or religious concepts. Rather, a devout atheist, can lead a life of identical in every way as purposeful as a believer. However, in order to assess those purposes and apply a meaning to it requires an objective perspective of life itself.

Because the pursuit of a life of purpose requires self-awareness, the imposition of order and goals on one's own life there is something of a clear acknowledgement of the emergence of self-awareness itself. Science tells us consciousness is emergent of brain chemistry and self-awareness itself seems to arise out of the complexity of consciousness. The individual, the atheist as well as the believer who exercises a desire to live with purpose, does so with the privilege of an emergent phenomenon that has little or no adequate materialistic or mechanical explanation. Like the light that envelopes the tree, and gives it life, is so easy to take for granted, so consciousness or more importantly self-awareness is a gift we rarely recognize until it is in jeopardy.

I think that it is unavoidable that when we consider meaning, and its many relational facets, we are inevitably drawn to notions that have traditionally been categorized as spiritual or religious in nature. In order to answer the question of meaning or identify 'my meaning in life' we will need to confront and contextualize the ultimate purpose of life in general. To some degree meaning, in its 'meaning of life' sense resembles truth, particularly of the mathematical kind. This in no way implies that all religions or claims to spirituality are correct or even beneficial in the pursuit of meaning. In fact, I believe that the pursuit of meaning itself provides something of a method the ultimate litmus test by which we can put religious belief systems to the test. We will here seek to have an open dialog concerning how this process can take place. I would like to think of it as a step towards a larger context, the transcendent or eternal, a little like reaching the heights of the tree to look out over the canopy of trees to the horizon in the distance. The top of the tree revealing that there is much more than the tree but a forest of trees. Perhaps, a little romantic but fitting and hopefully useful.

Disclaimer:

In order to move forward into what is the highly contentious area of religion/spirituality and its place in our discussion of meaning it will be necessary to be transparent about some issues that often lead to misunderstandings resulting in a breakdown of communication. Though we have been identifying the role of modernity & science, spirituality/religion and ancient wisdom I think it is fitting to narrow down the choices, identify sources of confusion for the purpose of having a coherent picture.

Concerning science

Science does not address the issue of meaning directly. However, it does through its revelation of truths about nature, its ontological descriptions and the profound mysterious revelation concerning our role in creation, give us clues about how reality conspires in harmony with our consciousness to create a potentially coherent worldview.

Science represents one of humanities greatest institutions for the simple reason that it will ultimately place man in subjugation to the Truth of creation. Moreover, the Truth of creation plays a significant role in what we will ultimately come to understand as our place in cosmos. In light of the confusion and suffering that religion has created, as history testifies, adopting science as a worldview, the ultimate authority on the nature of reality, has become a choice for many. This has recently been identified as scientism, a kind of religion of science. The atheist or agnostic can accept science as the ultimate authority in the pursuit of living with purpose. One could according to a scientific worldview integrate everything we have identified in the first six branches of Meaning Tree without being cognizant of religion or spirituality getting everything that purposeful living implies as much out of life as it has to offer. However, it becomes deeply problematic in contextualizing all those purposes, accomplishments, joys, sufferings and loss without invoking the question of meaning. Meaning requires a larger context that essentially forces us to come face to face with whether or not the cosmos and life was created with a purpose or not, whether or not our life has an ultimate purpose a meaning in the grand scheme of it all. Spirituality rooted in the ancient wisdom traditions of religion. But, which tradition is harmonious with science or the most coherent for the pursuit of meaning?

Science has likewise narrowed down what could possibly be correct about transcendence as well as religious choices in the pursuit of meaning. Though only a generation or so ago, some would have declared that science had rendered belief in God pointless, it is now a large growing consensus that we are far from an explanation of everything and why it has the multifarious character it does. Many scientist believe that a divine origin and design is the most plausible explanation. This does not in any way imply that science agrees with all or any religions, religious doctrine or a particular institutionalized form of religion. Some of the shift in perception or paradigm has come as a result of scientific discovery. In fact according to our current cosmological understanding of origins (the big bang cosmological model) monotheism is the only fundamental view of God that is coherent. Because the cosmos, and information concerning everything, came into existence at one point in time, out of a non-physical cause the only description of God or Creator that will suffice is a being who is beyond time and matter. That negates all polytheistic belief systems as well as most indigenous and ancient mythologies that invoke material gods. There are three monotheistic faiths in the world with many themes and variations. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to possess a faith in the 'One God', 'the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'. This in no way mandates that we believe everything or anything the three monotheistic belief systems declare about the 'One God'. In fact, the three monotheistic faiths do not agree as one could easily identify in the differences between the teachings of Christ and the Quran. However, for those concerned with possessing a religious belief system that is fundamentally consistent with scientific discovery this is at the very least a foundation. As it turns out there is more scientific discovery that further substantiates the declarations of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures popularly referred to as the Bible. There are several sources that list these such as (www.spiritualityscienceandmeaning.com) Our primary concern here is those predictions, axioms and declarations that have some kind of relationship to the transcendent, spiritual or the question of meaning.

The pursuit of purposeful living in exclusively scientific terms has certain limitations as well. Science does not in itself help with morality directly or the complexity of human relationships. Because meaning is itself a notion deeply rooted in relationship, the place we live in our human connections of family, friends and community require insights and wisdom that often speak beyond intellectual adequacy. In fact, because science is largely focused on the realms of the rational and cognitive growth, it can be blind to the significant emotional aspects of our being. Though psychology speaks to emotional health its great success has been in coming as close to the scientific method as possible and has with a few exceptions not focused on how we are to thrive, lead healthy lives in with purpose in the pursuit of meaning. Even if we are fortunate enough to build these characteristics into our scientific worldview, we are still left with the question of ultimate purpose which usually becomes very prevalent in times of suffering and loss.

if we are going to exclusively trust a scientific view or pursue a religious view that harmonious with scientific discovery concerning origins and the actual nature of reality, then we have no choice but to identify what religious belief systems are by scientific standards incorrect. We must also identify what is lacking in an exclusive scientific worldview.

Concerning religion/spirituality

Having religion, or practicing it with great diligence, does not in any way guarantee that one is leading or will ultimately be able to assess that their life was meaningful.

I am not a member of a religious organization. However, being with people and sharing with people of faith has enriched my life and the life of my family greatly. Religion can give purpose. It can give people guidance, moral direction, a cause to get up each day and an explanation of why it is they do what they do. Religion can be a powerful force to gathering & uniting families, cultures and nations for causes that are honorable and good. When people gather around good, wholesome and encouraging beliefs it can make the difference between a life squandered and one that is worthy of praise. However, religion can also rob people of even some of the most basic enjoyments of life, cause inharmonious relationships through socially divisive beliefs & practices and cripple intellectual growth. Religion can and unfortunately does, lead people down a road of covert contradictory beliefs, subjugation to pointless ritual and doctrines that leads to a life squandered on what amounts to little more than self-centered habitual practices. Simply stated religion gives purpose but may simultaneously rob a person of meaning.

When we introduce the significance of meaning in the life of the individual, the choices of religious belief systems for consideration diminish considerably. Many religions possess certain similarities in doctrine and fundamental beliefs and this is where we can have a dialog. However, as we introduce the significance of meaning into the discussion we will find that there few choices in religion’s ability to assess and deal both ideologically and symbolically with the complexity of the human experience.

I hear many people say things like ‘I am spiritual – but I am not religious. I understand the sentiment. I hear this all thr time and have come to understand it to imply that the individual does not trust institutionalized religion, but still retains a belief in a realm beyond that connects with the depths of our consciousness. That realm has something of an emotional dimension and acknowledgement of divinity. Spirituality without religion guarantees nothing but placing the burden on the individual to investigate what others have been seeking since the beginning of written history. Perhaps, we can look at religion the way we have come to understand the history of science. As science has advanced it has slowly replaced old theories with newer more accurate theories that have led to a much clearer understanding of reality. The individual who seeks spirituality without religion is like a scientist that does not consider the work and insights of previous theories and insights provided by the scientific community. Imagine going to a doctor, and upon meeting, he tells you; "I study medicine I just don't believe in the institution of medicine"!

Most religions have something to say about the question of meaning. However, not all religions are equally true or coherent. To complicate matters more, it seems that even good religious systems can be perverted. There is something that is not obvious to everyone and that is that being religious does not necessarily have a direct correlation with being spiritual. This is one of the core tenants of the teaching of Christ who described the religious men of the day as; “a horde of vipers” (snakes) or “dirty water in perfume bottles” (1) Interestingly, Christ did not ignore the teachings of the Scriptures or going to religious locations of worship. He simultaneously warned about the potential of religion while admonishing the soundness of its teachings. This is hard for many to acknowledge. Institutionalized religion can be corrupt while the religion itself may offer a wealth of goodness and guidance for purposeful living in the pursuit of meaning.

Now that we have this understanding we will return to assessing 'true religion' in the pursuit of meaning in short time.

A growing world with growing choices

I believe we all need to be aware that history is very complex and the rate at which our world is now changing is unprecedented. Atheism is one of the world's fastest growing 'belief system' having a great propensity to philosophically blend into the overall cultural paradigm of hedonistic - materialism. Institutionalized religion and other secular philosophies have been a mixed blessing at best, and again, may provide purpose in life, but necessarily meaning. Though the beliefs and teachings that some of these systems are founded on, are fundamentally accurate, the twisting and the perverting that takes place when the desire for power outweighs the good of the many becomes obvious over time. The cult of personality is alive and well in our modern world. Traditional media and the internet is filled with religious and non-religious charlatans who are all too willing to sell a new revolutionary idea, advancing their own agenda. Moreover, many belief systems have at their core, truths that have been obscured if not precluded simply as a result of the fact that they are now assumed to be inseparable from institutionalized belief systems. In the modern debate and in individual’s pursuit of meaning there are many perspectives and voices concerning what is truth and worthy of our commitment in thought & action. Unfortunately, these notions are very often not established in a greater historical ground from which to secure a truly strong rooting. We need to be aware of 'wolves in sheep's clothing'.

Concerning, beliefs or worldviews & Losing leaves

Like a tree that loses it leaves in the fall to make space for the incoming leaves of spring, we very often must, in order to grow, let go of the old incomplete beliefs that can hang on tightly. Moreover, wisdom will even transform our fundamentally good beliefs strengthening our ability to live with purpose in the presence or meaning.

True growth sometimes implies leaving behind or detaching ourselves from the past, patterns of thinking and beliefs or worldviews that very often controls us. However, it should be understood that living in the presence of meaning is much more than accepting a life view or being philosophically persuaded of something. Again we can live out our days with purpose doing admirable deeds, being a good citizen, and leading an exemplary life. Though important, none of this guarantees that we will be able to come to embrace our meaning in life. Nearly every soul requires something of an inward transformation, a fundamental change in thinking, goals, attitudes and habits.

Perhaps an important issue to consider might be, what is the balance between being open minded and being wise?

I have a friend who is a very creative Bohemian type of individual, who, as I am, is deeply committed to world & community peace. I quite accidently offended him when we were discussing the implications of open mindedness. I explained to him that I had observed that what most people, I know, imply when they say ‘open minded’ is the consideration of any philosophy, belief system or idea that is not traditional. In a sense being open minded should mandate an complete dialog to all perspectives and a concerted effort to understand not just a philosophy but why people believe the things they do. He admittedly stated that his impression was that traditional views were simply no longer accepted as being valuable in a modern intellectual context and therefore there was nothing worthy of considering. Essentially, if it is a traditional concept or belief it is best to keep the mind closed to what it offers. Mankind has a rich history of fascinating twists and turns in its philosophical and religious attempts to explain meaning. Our modern scientific understanding and revelation of the mysteries of creation have likewise provided an enormous source of consideration for our the expansion of our intellect and becoming wise. Being open - minded in its true sense should imply acceptance of everything that the path of wisdom has to offer, particularly as it pertains to the pursuit of meaning.
One clear example of this we have been touching on is the notion that science has proven there is no need for God. Or that it has conclusively displayed that we understand everything there is to know about the cosmos and life and there is no need for a transcendent cause. I was personally shocked in my personal quest to discover that many great scientific thinkers do not share that sentiment. The point that I am sharing is that being open-minded is quite different than the pursuit of wisdom. When one is open – minded they are more than not implying that they are willing to consider possibilities in their often narrow range within their worldview. Those who pursue wisdom do so with the premise that truth often requires us giving up our cherished beliefs and short-sighted perceptions.

Before moving on let us summarize

Just as children might take the light of day for granted that gives the tree life and makes climbing possible - it is likewise equally easy for atheist and believer alike to take the emergence of self-awareness that makes the pursuit of purpose and meaning possible.
Science does not address the issue of meaning directly. However, it does through its revelation of truths about nature, its discoveries concerning origins as well as the profound mysterious it exposes concerning our role in creation, conspires to create a potentially coherent view of reality.
Because science depends on the coherence of creation it likewise it has a powerful ability to sort out which spiritual/religious belief systems possess errors.
Having religion, or practicing it with great diligence, does not in any way guarantee that one will ultimately be able to assess that their life was meaningful. Simply stated religion gives purpose but may simultaneously rob a person of meaning. Moreover, institutionalized religion can be corrupt while the actual religion itself may offer a wealth of goodness and guidance for purposeful living in the pursuit of meaning.
Being religious does not necessarily have a direct correlation with being spiritual. Though, Spirituality is the deeply personal connection of our psyche to the transcendent, it nevertheless, still beckons us to learn and glean the insights and wisdom of those whose stories resides in religious books, traditions & teachings.

Coming Soon

Memories (How we integrate a life of recollections into meaning)
A history of presence & the presence of history
Creativity – (where place and the presence of meaning converge)
Where does meaning lead? Peace, rest & love