Hello to all of you that stop by...
I received an interesting post from Thomas in response to my TRUE FREEDOM: Finding Deeper Meaning in Life message. Because he shared a number meaning-full ideas and also raised some questions many of us ask, I wanted to share his message, as well as my response to him. Perhaps we can expand the dialogue with some thoughts from those of you showing up to read it. I welcome your thoughts and any questions on your mind!
Below is a link to my original message that prompted Thomas' response, followed by his message and my message back to him:
For Your Reference: TRUE FREEDOM: Finding Deeper Meaning in Life
More about Viktor Frankl: Visit the Viktor Frankl Collection at the Global Dialogue Center
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MESSAGE FROM THOMAS:
I've been reading everything I can by [Viktor] Frankl. I know what he says is true but am unsure how to manifest it in my life. I am 54 years old, single, no children. I ponder that I will be around about another twenty years or so.
What will I know that I have done in this world? I can understand the hunger for people to believe that their lives mattered. I am more aware of the miracle of consciousness, the ability to behold it all. I remember walking by a lake, looking across it and thinking, "I was here. I saw this."
I wonder who, if anyone, would create us to even want to know the purpose of our lives. Why does it matter that we want something beyond ourselves? If we were just beings that live until they die and that's it, it would be easier to believe in the Clockmaker God. What is it in people that they need to be spiritual, to accomplish something. Why would people want to believe in a greater power? Frankl quotes one who said, "Thirst is the proof for the existence of water." Perhaps, it is something just to ponder these questions.
Another great thinker, philosopher and spiritualist of the 20th Century was Abraham Heschel. I am starting to dovetail the two. Heschel alludes to the spiritual, even calling for the sense of awe. Can we create a "spiritual machine"? Why would we want to. A woman who wrote about writing encouraged people to answer the questions they pose.
Thank you for the opportunity to put this online. Will anyone read it? I can't know. I can know that I wrote it and I read it. That is a beginning.
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MY RESPONSE TO THOMAS:
Dear Thomas,
Thank you so very much for sharing your views on the subject of TRUE FREEDOM: Finding Deeper Meaning in Life. I can assure you that your contribution of time and effort was worthwhile and meaning-full on many different levels. Indeed, besides yourself and me, I have no doubt that your post has been read and will be read by many people around the world, who are interested in your perspective, the questions that you raise, and the implications of your observations on whatever answer(s) they may be seeking. And that too is a beginning!
I am pleased to learn that you have immersed yourself in Viktor Frankl's work. In this regard, let me suggest that you also read my book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, for it will give you a perspective on Frankl's unique approach to existential philosophy and analysis that I'm certain you will find helpful. Moreover, in light of your comment that you are "unsure how to manifest [it] in my life," Prisoners of Our Thoughts will also give you some practical "tools and techniques" for self-discovery and personal transformation. And I know without question that these tools and techniques "work" for I use them regularly (during the good, bad, and ugly moments) in my own life!
Obviously, I don't know you, so it would be inappropriate for me to get too personal in my response to some of the things noted in your online post. This said, you do raise some interesting issues and questions; matters that strike at the very heart (and soul) of human existence. And I like your reference to the "miracle of consciousness" since it mirrors the image--and importantly, the message--described in Prisoners of Our Thoughts. But be warned: the miracle of consciousness can be both a blessing and a curse! Consciousness, in effect, is a relationship between the "observed" and the "observer." When this relationship becomes stagnant, stuck, or fixed, consciousness looses its luster and we effectively become "prisoners of our thoughts!"
Against this backdrop, I challenge you not only to remain aware of the "miracle of consciousness" but also to avoid becoming its captive. Whether you "know" at this moment your life's legacy in this world is not as important as knowing that your life matters at this and every moment. This, my friend, is the true "miracle of consciousness"--the characteristic that distinguishes human beings from other life forms and what holds the potential for unleashing the human spirit in all of its glory.
Thomas, the fact that you made an effort to participate in this online dialogue about the human quest for meaning suggests that you, too, are on the path whether you "know" it or not. Viktor Frankl said that the meaning of life is meaning. He also called his system of psychotherapy, "Logotherapy," which is rooted in Ancient Greek work, logos (loosely translated as "meaning" but more fundamentally as "spirit"). Dr. Frankl, I want to underscore, both humanized and spiritualized psychotherapy.
Please, once again, read my book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts. You will see that the search for meaning is not about some end point or destination that needs to be reached during our lives. Determining the ultimate "purpose" of our lives, in this regard, is only part of the quest. Frankl contended, and I obviously agree with him, that there is a "seed of meaning" in every moment of our lives--up until our very last breadth. It is up to us, however, to discover what this seed of meaning is and decipher what it means (no pun intended) for us, in both a micro and macro sense. In a way, it is by remaining conscious (there is that "miracle of consciousness" thing again!) of these "meaning moments" that we are offered the opportunity to weave together the unique tapestry of our own existence. Again, it is our personal responsibility to engage in this kind of self-discovery and transformational process, something that admittedly is not always easy or transparent but one that, I would argue, is well worth the investment.
As I mentioned in the original post, TRUE FREEDOM: Finding Deeper Meaning in Life, how do we affect positive change around us, individually or collectively, if our thoughts stay in a "perpetual state of doom" and we don't want something beyond ourselves? Is that the kind of world that you really want to live in and leave behind to others, especially to those whom you care about and maybe even love?! And what really would the world be like without some kind of "spiritual machine?" (I'm not talking necessarily about organized religion). Importantly, as we ponder these questions, we are demonstrating our unique human-ness (our pets, for instance, don't ask such meaning-centered questions!) and we are offering hope and the possibility that life is more--much more--than adherence to the "Clockmaker God."
No, Thomas, I firmly believe that all life matters and it is the search for meaning that distinguishes us as human beings rather than simply human doers.
So, now what do you think?! Again, thanks for participating in this on-line dialogue.
All the best,
Alex
Alex Pattakos, Ph.D.
author, Prisoners of Our Thoughts
founder, Center for Meaning
Santa Fe, NM USA www.themeaningdifference.com
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