The meaning of life, this simple question stands at the front of all others and demands attention. From the great to the average, all have pondered upon it, and lived their lives according to the answers they found. Those that do not pay it the respect It commands will find themselves time and again, lost and hopeless. It could be argued that the greats among us, are so, because the answers they found gave them a set of principles and laws which propelled them forward to excellence.
So then what is this secret, what is the meaning of life?
Before there were books, before modern academia and modern sciences, there was just man and nature. There were no great libraries, no legendary gymnasiums of mind and body, only flowing streams, seemingly endless forest and deep dark caves. It would therefore be safe to assume that all wisdom sprung forth from the observation of nature herself. So where better to go than the source of all wisdom to gain insight on the most demanding of questions?
If we look upon nature for an answer to the question “What is the meaning of life” we can come up with some surprisingly simple answers. For all practical purposes life in nature follows simple rules, that of growth, and procreation. Whether it be the mighty Oak, or humble mouse, they all strive forth into the world, creating their own habitat and territory. From this safe place of their creation they burst forth again, be it the setting of fruits, or nurturing their young, they expand themselves through multiplication.
If we reduce the meaning of life to that of simply life’s purpose, then this answer is quite sufficient. As a living thing, we can not argue with its sound principles, as if our forebears did not follow them, we would not be here to ask the question in the first place. Although this answer appears simplistic it is at the very least a fundamental of life, any deeper meaning can only exist as long as this truth is maintained.
Being rather complex creatures, this answer though does not quite fulfil us and as any child will tell you, where there is one answer there is always another question, “why?”. The childlike inquisition never ceases to amaze me, how it can cut through even the most well thought out answers and leave them lying in the dust to be picked at by carrion beasts.
So why is it important that we propel ourselves through time via our offspring? Even the very word “offspring” conjures this exact image, that of springing off into some unknown future. Is there some event at the end of time, that through our descendants we must be present? Obviously to answer this question we are forced to predict where everything is heading. This is generally where “religion” steps in to ease our minds, with otherworldly answers. For Christianity we are told, at least on layman’s terms, that life is essentially a test, one which if we pass we get to live eternally in “Gods” love. For the Buddhist the goal is Nirvana, a complete death. He seeks this via imitating that death in life, from rejecting the necessity of nature, till he ceases to be entirely.
The problem with most “Religions” is in their deeper insights they reject the fundamental wisdom. The lessons learnt from nature are ignored and in their place are put some forced “wisdom”. In the instances above of Christianity and Buddhism we can find such “wisdom”. In Christianity the idea of procreation is diminished, children become rather odd appendages, their success or failure has no baring on your ascension. They simply become a burden, which is reflected in the common idea of “original sin”. Growth is limited to the individual, although a father may pass on his wisdom to his children, as far as the spiritual is concerned both the child and father are on their own. The individual would become completely self serving were it not for some anomalous commandments that are given as rules to the game without any real spiritual explanation. With Buddhism everything is rejected, every fundamental of nature is seen as a test in overcoming. The practitioner must actively seek to overcome all the demands of nature. Like Christianity, but in a far more extreme way, life itself becomes a burden unto itself, any participation in the struggle of life becomes a sacrilegious act, that will only hinder your progress to eternal nothingness.
Now as simplistic as my breakdowns above are, and of course there are many nuances in both faiths that could, here or there alter the overall picture, I maintain that in essence neither obey the observable truths of nature. In both cases Nature is seen as something to overcome, they see themselves as above it and outside of its laws. Both become enthralled in a battle with nature, and life itself becomes an endless burden, not a glorious gift of creation. Without the fundamentals of nature no deeper meaning can exist, so therefore any absolutism that simply seeks to explain it away rather than unveil its beauty is ultimately dishonest.
Of course it is not only Christianity and Buddhism that do this, nearly all faiths do, even many “pagan” ones. They all claim divine knowledge and ultimate truths, there is no question that they cannot answer. This again breaks a fundamental observation of nature, that of growth. When you “know everything” nothing can be learned, there is no space in which you can expand. When we observe this in nature herself, it is the sign of death, either by suffocation or because it lacks the vitality to bud forth. It is stagnation of the mind, we constrict the divine according to our own limitations.
The limitations of the observer must be factored into that which is being observed. We are the lens by which all knowledge must pass through, and much like all lenses our restrictions will always limit the image produced. It is important that when observing nature for answers to the biggest questions of life, we do not confuse our limited view with the enormity of what is in front of us. Any such confusion will result in our intuitive beliefs and personal experiences being mistaken for absolutes of the divine. This restriction is easily seen by the way we imagine the Gods and Goddesses, we see them in human form, because their true form is beyond our scope we reduce them to the familiar. This serves us by making them more relatable and comforting to us, but I doubt any would believe their true form and presence so simplistic.
Now, this is not in anyway reducing the importance of personal gnosis and intimate spiritual experiences. They are important glimpses of the divine that can reinforce belief. But we must be careful not to turn them into absolute truths and suffer a spiritual death by our “all knowing”. These experiences and intuitive understandings should, if they are to obey the fundamentals of nature be agents of growth, not limitation.
The Sun does not lower itself to the tree to impart upon it its life giving energy, it forces the tree to strive upwards, urging it to break its current limitations. The very same life giving energies would up close destroy the tree, as its gentle warmth turned into a blazing inferno. The full power of the Sun is far to great for the tree to experience in its current form. The suns majesty becomes the inspirational force behind the Trees lofty aspirations. In this way the Sun serves life, and its power is a driving force growth, not a destructive agent of death.
So, what of the meaning of life? The honest answer is, I never intended to answer this question, it is far to large to pass through my lens in its entirety. The question itself becomes much like the Sun, by its very existence we are inspired to journey on a quest for the divine and used correctly it becomes an agent of growth.
We must though be careful that through our own desperation we do not hastily mistake the Suns warmth for the entirety of its power, lest we wish to get burnt. The divine may always be just out of our reach in this world, but if we can refrain from reducing it to our limitations, then it can help us break our own.