Looking for a meaning and purpose in life as an end towards the fulfillment of one’s own desires can be a slippery slope, driven by a subtle yet chronic self-deception on part of an inherently needy mind that is perpetually seeking approval and acceptance from the external world, just so it can perceive a sense of belonging despite itself.
Often, our limitations and failures induce in us a fear of being criticized, judged or rejected by those, whose opinions we have come to count upon. In an evolutionary sense, this is probably the fear of isolation and abandonment of an individual by the group, and which may also be strongly reinforced during one’s growing up years. When confronted with failure, our anxious mind experiences the illusion of a void, which it must then seek to fill up, as soon as it arises, with ideas and concepts that can somehow explain and rationalize the failure away. Some of us may internalize such feelings and experience guilt and shame, while others may externalize them in the form of aggressive behaviors.
Alternatively, we may be tempted to look for patterns in our lives and imagine some sort of purpose, after all, to justify the choices we make, and to have some notion of a direction even through failures. Admittedly, it is very hard to determine if there isn’t indeed a purpose to life or to the universe at all! But it is extremely tricky, nevertheless, to assume that there must be one that is in a sense predestined and tailored for each individual, or even collectively for everyone.
Instead, we’d rather become aware of our inherent neediness as the reason for our search for a meaning in the first place, and strive to not give in to the almost compulsive and subconscious urge to seek acceptance, that at times makes us want to run away and at other times to cling to ideas, concepts and people, when in fact they are all in constant flux all around us.
Does that mean that the universe is purposeless and random? More importantly, what do we do during those moments when the void seemingly threatens to destroy our very identity? It might be interesting to think about whether a mere ‘awareness’ of the void’s illusory nature can free us of it during such moments, and whether that alone wouldn’t qualify the cultivation of such an awareness as a noble purpose of life!
Posted by srinivasv 