Amy at Texas Faith: How would you describe your search for meaning?
TEXAS FAITH: How would you describe your search for meaning?
This Sally Quinn essay from The Washington Post struck me as a provocative piece. In writing about the search for meaning in our lives, she describes an anti-pastor, an anti-gay atheist and Billy Graham at the end of his career.
The piece is worth the read if only for the part about the “tattooed Lutheran pastor, weight lifter, stand-up comic, former alcoholic and drug addict and hard-swearing Nadia Bolz-Weber.”
At the end, Quinn, in talking about the search for meaning, asks: Aren’t we all searching for community and wonder?
How would you answer that question?
How would you describe your search for meaning?
AMY MARTIN, Director Emeritus of Earth Rhythms and Writer/editor Moonlady News Newsletter
Wonder and community – meh, says the narcissist – and there are a lot of narcissists out there. The core of being part of community is to take responsibility for the ways that our actions impact others. You can imagine how well that goes over on Wall Street. But even beyond the chronically selfish, many of the deeply pragmatic, agnostic and non-contemplative are wonder immune. And wonder is not necessarily concurrent with spirituality, as many in science will attest.
To find meaning is to decide that your life matters. In an infinite matrix of universes that is a challenge. A recent poll explored meaning in people’s lives. The answers were somewhat traditional: loved ones and children, religion and charitable deeds. Then a question posited if there would still be meaning to life if mankind could not continue; if, for instance, no more children could be born.
From evangelist to atheist, the answer was no. And that answer often surprised them. On a deep, at times imperceptible, level, they were deeply invested in humanity, in being part of humanity and its continuance. Above all else, being human was their legacy. Imagine.
