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We're told often that we have to have a meaning in life; a direction, a focus. I'm curious: why do we need such a meaning, and if that is so, does it then have to be a "spiritual reason? The so-called true meaning that always seems to be that of a theist's outlook.
Can we perchance, instead of that particular outlook, have an atheist's perspective as the meaning of life, one that sidesteps pre-determined values and special chants that supposedly link one's "soul" to God? Can we indeed be soul-free, in the classic definition of a soul?
But if we define ourselves with those special elements, are we then, in the eyes of some, therefore somehow "evil", morally bereft, etc.? I'm simply curious about the safety and utility of my soul, you understand!
Well, of course. Of those who feel their life has a meaning, or meaning in general, that meaning is different for everyone, and it's not always religious.
Atheists are spiritual, in the sense of enjoying the deep and natural beauty that has evolved, interactively and purposefully, in nature, the interactions that indeed occur in that world as a result of trial and error testing of various forms and "experiments".
My concern is perhaps that this is not accepted as true spirituality, that it does not have the correct and approved meaning. What does it mean to all of you?
I'm curious: why do we need such a meaning, and if that is so, does it then have to be a "spiritual reason?
I think we need a meaning in life so that we don't walk this earth as selfish beings. Unless you're the selfish guy (not you rifleman.. generic you) who thinks the sun rises and sets on his special self in which case my whole definition is not going to work. I think we have meaning in our lives when we look beyond ourselves and help someone.
And no, it doesn't have to be a spiritual reason. In fact it sometimes helps if it isn't. The person who isn't looking for the fire escape is more likely to be honest in his help of a fellow traveler.
You may now play "Here Comes The Sun" because I just heard Richie Havens died and his life had great meaning. You're measured by the gap you leave, IMO. He just left the Grand Canyon. )
Well to answer the question we must define "spirituality" and in order to do that we must define "spirit".
"Spirit" is defined as:
1) The vital principle of conscious life, typically with respect to humans;
2) The incorporeal part of humans;
3) The soul which separates from the body at death;
4) A conscious incorporeal being;
5) A supernatural incorporeal being.
For purposes of your question we can dispense with 4 and 5 for sure. As for 3, I never did understand the distinction between soul and spirit, nor is there, to my knowledge, wide agreement on the difference, if any. It's a theological question, usually the explanation is that the spirit is what relates to god and the soul is what makes rifleman, rifleman and is used to relate to other people. So we dispense with (3) also as it's just theological "noise" and unhelpful for our purposes.
So rifleman's spirituality is that which pertains to the vital essence of rifleman, which some would regard as rifleman's non-corporeal component. Since whether or not there is an immaterial part of rifleman is also is a theological question and not necessary to the discussion, let's jettison that for purposes of focus and clarity ... what we're talking about for practical purposes, then, is what, subjectively, feels purposeful and meaningful to rifleman. It seems to me that is up to rifleman.
But what people seem to hone in on when they talk about "spirituality" and "spiritual meaning" was touched on by another poster above. It is a connection to something larger than ourself and our personal goals. It is what twelve-step programs talk about as a "higher power". A close friend of mine had the common conundrum of atheists in AA, which is, how do you define a higher power if you don't believe in god(s)? The answer for them was, "other people" -- his strength came from turning outward rather than brooding inward, which tends to feed his addictions.
And in fact, with deities out of the picture, Other People either literally or via society is arguably the only thing that is larger than yourself, unless maybe you're really into nature. The thing is, Other People is the only thing we can relate to in any meaningful way as we are of the same kind. Trees don't hug back ;-)
So I think it just boils down to the human condition, which is that we are born alone, live alone, and die alone, and we need others to bear witness to our suffering and triumphs and it does us good to bear witness to the suffering and triumphs of others -- to have empathy, compassion, and love for others and to support them and be supported by them.
This is spiritual purpose enough for me. Of course, as Sartre ably pointed out, Hell is Other People sometimes. One has only to watch reality TV for a couple of hours to lose all hope in your fellow man and be tempted to move to a monastery. However, I find that if you find causes you care about, you find common cause with like minded people and this needn't be a deep, profound, multilevel thing. I have a different relationship with my next door neighbor than I do with my colleagues or my wife or my dogs. Some relationships are rather banal, yet, they all contribute to our lives in cumulative ways. If I blow snow off my neighbor's sidewalk when I know he's ill, or take the trouble to put a misdirected bit of mail in his front door, it contributes to his life and to mine, and both of us feel a little less alone in the universe -- even if we don't know each other well enough to open up to each other about the deep things in our lives.
The error of theism is to seek meaning as an externally given, prefabricated thing. Meaning is really just huddling around the campfire in the infinite vastness of the eternal universe and keeping each other warm -- and even just acknowledging each other and being acknowledged. At bottom, it's really that simple. How you choose to huddle is your own business.
You may now play "Here Comes The Sun" because I just heard Richie Havens died and his life had great meaning. You're measured by the gap you leave, IMO. He just left the Grand Canyon. )
Yes, I also just heard this on NPR. Sad. The boy had a special spirituality, to my mind. He'll be missed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant
The error of theism is to seek meaning as an externally given, prefabricated thing. Meaning is really just huddling around the campfire in the infinite vastness of the eternal universe and keeping each other warm -- and even just acknowledging each other and being acknowledged. At bottom, it's really that simple. How you choose to huddle is your own business.
Well stated, and "sussed out", mordant. I appreciate your input here.
...snip...
You may now play "Here Comes The Sun" because I just heard Richie Havens died and his life had great meaning. You're measured by the gap you leave, IMO. He just left the Grand Canyon. )
Sometimes, I think we all feel like a motherless child - a long, long, way from home.
I go out onto my garden each day in anticipation and marvel at how much my plants: my tomatoes, strawberries, sweet peas or whatever have grown since the previous day. I sit with my kids after school helping them with their homework or take them to soccer or skating and see how they grow in independence and slowly outshine me in their particular areas of strength. When I look out to sea or visit Yosemite or some other place of outstanding natural beauty I have to take a deep breath as I cannot take in how stunningly beautiful the natural world can be. I sometimes catch my children asleep and look at them with awe at how nature can create something like this. I could go on..
I am an atheist and I can think of no other word to describe these feelings and emotions except for 'spirituality'. When I look at the natural world, I reflect how everything we see before us has taken this tiny planet of ours four and a half billion years to get to this point (more if you count the age of the universe). It's almost too much time to even contemplate. All of this is the product of billions of years of evolution, not something that happened overnight. To me, the 'god created it' is so much less wondrous - if anything, it detracts from the wonder and the beauty because it is too instant and easy an answer - almost insulting in a way, because you lose the full appreciation of how all this came to be.
It is a true marvel that we are able to live on this goldilocks (just right) planet of ours, that we are here to appreciate it, interact with it, grow in it and evolve. To me, this is the meaning of life. I don't think there is a word to describe this as an atheist. Perhaps we need to find a new word.
Atheists are spiritual, in the sense of enjoying the deep and natural beauty that has evolved, interactively and purposefully, in nature, the interactions that indeed occur in that world as a result of trial and error testing of various forms and "experiments".
My concern is perhaps that this is not accepted as true spirituality, that it does not have the correct and approved meaning. What does it mean to all of you?
That the religious push everything through the mental filter of religion and 'Spiritual' gets equivocated (favourite religious fallacy) so that anything involving an emotional response is taken as proof of JesusGod working in us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruithne
....
It is a true marvel that we are able to live on this goldilocks (just right) planet of ours, that we are here to appreciate it, interact with it, grow in it and evolve. To me, this is the meaning of life. I don't think there is a word to describe this as an atheist. Perhaps we need to find a new word.
Yes, we are incredibly lucky. The amazement at the incredible riches we have is 'spiritual'. It is a good word and just doesn't need to be the sole monopoly of theological exegesis.
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Other perspectives.
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