Why the search for meaning?

[Smellincoffee]

Why are human beings so obsessed with finding deeper meanings to their lives? Is meaning just the word we give to an itch to find our 'place' -- in other peoples lives, for instance, when it comes to love, or in the universe? I know the religious response, or at least the Abrahamic: Augustine probably sumed it up when he wrote, 'we were made for thee, O Lord, and are restless until we find our rest in thee'-- but from a naturalistic, strictly biological viewpoint...where does it come from? Is it just the pattern-seeking element of our brain being turned to scrutinize itself?

 

[bhavv]

Because they think we are better than all other life forms, and so important that if there was a creator, it made us in his its exact image and communicated directly with us via an angel and several prophets.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Too much time on our hands.

 

[Birdjaguar]

We are hard wired with a need to understand and a skill for organizing.

 

[Narz]

Tribal cohesion.

And moral boosting. There was an Olympic athlete (British I think) who became a hardcore Christian & he had no doubt it helped him win the gold. As soon as he won he started having doubts, eventually becoming atheist. But his followers behind him & even God Himself behind him as he was competing. That's gotta be a huge competitive advantage.

I was reading a Buddhist book today on the train actually, I am going to try to get myself to believe some semi-mystical-stuff just to see if it helps my everyday life/morale. I think it's very hard to be a joyous atheist. Look at Dawkins. Even the ones who aren't Dawkins they've always got a chip on their shoulder, something to prove. I don't want to be dumb & smug in my ignorance like their opposites (I think of a simple old lady in a rocking chair saying "Of course there's a Lord, deary"). Maybe somewhere in the middle would be adaptive for me in today's world. Keep in mind, I'll never deep-down believe but if I get some faith in new-agey **** like 'synchronicity' I'll notice it more & hopefully create a cycle where I'll believe just enough for the morale-benefits.

Will keep y'all posted (or not).

 

[Birdjaguar]

"The Way of Zen" by Alan Watts might be a nice introduction.

 

[Narz]

I've never read anything by Alan Watts but I've heard him speak (not live of course). I'll request that one @ the library.

 

[Birdjaguar]

"Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse and "Way of Zen" were my introduction to eastern thought. They were my first step in finding "meaning".

 

[Narz]

Herman Hesse is one of my favorite authors. And Siddhartha probably my 2nd favorite of his.

 

[madviking]

life would be boring otherwise.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

"Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse and "Way of Zen" were my introduction to eastern thought. They were my first step in finding "meaning".

My introduction to eastern thought was Iyengar's Light on Yoga, practicing two hours twice a day. I didn't find any meaning, but after a couple years it became a lot easier to stop looking.

 

[Phrossack]

I either have no need for meaning or operate under a different definition of it. I just want to enjoy life without causing tok much damage, and preferably leaving the world in slightly better shape than I found it.

I don't think we were put here by anyone. Nor do I think that humans exist for a purpose any more than rocks do. But that seems irrelevant to me.

 

[bhavv]

Narz made me think something interesting -

Should theists be banned from competitive sports for having an unfair advantage based on the power of their Deity?

 

[Gori the Grey]

^Who would do the banning? Athiests? who don't believe that believers do have an advantage. That hardly seems fair.

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Narz made me think something interesting -

Should theists be banned from competitive sports for having an unfair advantage based on the power of their Deity?

Only if you can prove it.

 

[bhavv]

No, theists would do the banning because they think it does give unfair advantages!

 

[Gori the Grey]

Oh, you said "be banned," not "disqualify themselves." So I misunderstood.

 

[bhavv]

Well no, they would be banned by other theists.

 

[gay_Aleks]

And by banned, we mean they'd blow them up to death!

 

[Gori the Grey]

Well no, they would be banned by other theists.

Other theists prefer to compete against them--to demonstrate, through victory, that their god is the real one.

More on topic. Why not? What else are you going to spend your life seeking?

Spoiler :

Whatever answer you gave to that question: well, there's your meaning in life!