Who are you? Who am I? | Week 51

December | Meaning of Life | Week 51 | 12/24/2023
What is the meaning of life? Part 4   

Of all the arguments I've found most convincing to answer this question, the work of Dr. John Vervaeke on the Meaning Crisis has been the most impactful. Vervaeke talks about 'meaning in life' vs 'meaning of life. His approach follows the learnings we've gained from cognitive science, about what makes people feel as if their life has meaning - therefore yielding meaning in life. One can observe children (or adults) engaging with video games and detaching from society. Why? What does a good video game offer? 4 things, he argues; [1] Purpose, [2] Coherence, [3] Self Transcendence, and [4] Flow State. If regular life was capable of delivering these, then people would rather spend their time in that context than in the video game. Starting with purpose, the obvious purpose of the game is to beat the game, to complete all the quests, collect all the gold, etc. Moving to coherence, inside of a game there are clear rules one must follow, which form a scaffolding to do well in the game. Self transcendence is the ability to level up, to get better at the game and to advance one's character to do bigger and better things. And finally flow state, the state of blissful focus (value), a connection to their environment, that is achieved internally when one is playing the game - the feeling that the actions one is taking matter and work toward the purpose. So how can someone achieve these four concepts in their own life, and would it lead to feelings of meaning in life. 

The purpose a healthy life could be a string of achievements, accomplishments and feelings as well. Graduating college, having an interesting career, finding love, exploring the world, having a family, becoming good at skills, obtaining wisdom, maintaining deep long term friendships, caring for parents and leaving the Earth with a legacy. Coherence is harder to obtain using subjectivity, but this is where religion and philosophy are very helpful. The 8Fold Path of Buddhism tells of a way. The Bible tells of another. The important lessons of the Stoics provide structure for a good life. How about self transcendence, can one "level up?" Of course, one can get better of the game of chess, stronger in the gym, faster on the track, smarter from books, healthier from lifestyle choices. Three good years of hard work and an individual could be better on all metrics - metrics defined by themselves. Finally, flow state, elusive but palpable. It is said that one's calling is the intersection of skill and passion. When I'm engaged in a good conversation, doing my hardest exercise, or writing a difficult essay, I forget the time, the date, or about any of the complicating details of my life. That's flow state. It's not possible at all times, but it's possible if one strives to find it and find it often. 

After all the analysis and consideration of many perspectives, the question of meaning returns to me for answer. My answer for the meaning of life (en aggregate) is simple - we, the human species, are here on this Earth to discover, to grow, to experience, to learn, to expand, to love. We are meant to collectively learn about reality, to learn the difficult lessons of humanity, to seek the truth and to collect wisdom for the future. We are the main characters in a great cosmic narrative and one day the story of our species will have a resolution. We are meant to live out the long arc of humanity and arrive at the next phase of our story, ready to make the right decisions in the face of difficult existential dilemma. As far as individually finding meaning in my life, it's a simple formula. I find meaning at the intersection of optimizing and pursuing - pursuing Wisdom, Truth, and Love and optimizing the 5 F's: Friendship, Family, Finances, Faith and Fitness. For me, purpose is derived from the pursuit of these three concepts. The wisdom of humanity, found in various religious and philosophical truths both eastern and western, ground my life with a sense of coherence. Improving myself by expanding my wisdom, knowledge and capability and working towards the improvement of my situation, acts as my source of self transcendence. Optimizing the time and effort I put into the 5 F's brings me into a constant flow state. Striving ever towards the truth and obtaining wisdom by discovering consilience in a plethora of religious, scientific, philosophical and metaphysical disciplines is exciting at my very core. And leading with love is a guiding principle.