If we agree that the Renaissance Life must have some meaning for us, we are faced with the question: From where is that meaning going to come ?
The two broad possibilities are, ‘from outside of ourselves’ or ‘from within’; extrinsic meaning and intrinsic meaning.
A Quick Look at Extrinsic Meaning
Basically this quickly becomes a question of whether or not we believe in God. And whether or not we believe that God can imbue our lives with meaning or has some sort of plan for our lives from which we will gain meaning. Maybe “purpose” is equivalent to “meaning” in this discussion.
Those who believe in God tell us that God is really the only source of meaning. That it is senseless to pretend that man on his own, without a creator and designer of the universe, could somehow conjure up meaning or purpose. If we are nothing but mechanical entities, complex cauldrons of biochemistry spun out of the vast universe, living on a chunk of mass that, by chance, happens to support life, then our birth and life and death are meaningless chemical reactions of no more significance (with no meaning or purpose) than any other chemical reaction that takes place in our corner of the universe.
An offshoot of this reasoning, by the way, is the fascinating question of where we get the idea of “free will” or “choice” if we are spirit-less lumps of biochemistry, spinning out thoughts and decisions purely as the result of the passage of neurotransmitters between and among gobs of brain cells. We all know that chemical reactions cannot “decide to happen”.
Chemical reactions take place because the temperature, pressure, equilibrium, and possibly catalysis of the system make it impossible for them not to happen. The molecules of polyisoprene, in the presence of sulfur and at elevated pressure and temperature do not “decide” or “choose” to form covalent bonds with the sulfur and produce what we know as rubber. It happens because all the conditions are right. Mix all that stuff together, put it in a mold, crank up the heat and, voilà; you’ve got a tire, baby.
But we humans have a consciousness of choice. We think, at least, that we can make decisions. Indeed, the mind starts to boggle if I consider that the typing I am doing now as I write this piece is simply the product of an incredible number of incredibly complex biochemical reactions that are going off in my body because the environment is right for the reactions to take place.
I am not really creating any of this stuff; it’s just little biochemical explosions predetermined by previous chemical reactions, (in turn predetermined by even earlier reactions, ad nauseam back to the womb, I guess), that put my alleged brain in the proper state for this drivel to come spewing out.
Choice and freedom and purpose are very closely related in our thinking. And to think they are all the result of some kind of random natural selection, translated into basic chemistry is tough to fathom.
God Gives Meaning and Purpose
God is required for meaning; that is the position of the “extrinsicists”. Indeed the religions of the world which posit a Divine Being, seem all to include the idea that we realize purpose by becoming one with the Eternal. That our purpose is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever”, as the Greater Catechism advocates.
We were put on earth by God (didn’t just spring up out of the primordial goo) in an act of love and, as Krishna says in The Bhagavad Gita, “But for them whom I am the End Supreme, who surrender all their works to me, and who with pure love meditate on me – these I very soon deliver from the ocean of death… because they have set their heart on me,” (Chap 12; vs 6 & 7).
Purpose becomes pretty clear; we are to become one with God. This is our life’s purpose and from which it gains meaning; our constant pursuit of oneness with God.
Translating this into daily action gets a little hairy, of course. This God-centered purpose or meaning for our lives has meant everything from living passive lives of isolated contemplation to cranking up the war machine to conquer and save the infidels (from themselves and their delusions of God, one guesses, or perhaps to punish them for not seeing the truth).
And the mind boggles again at the number of ways, the number of gods and the various creeds that have sprung up, all of which purport to teach us how to find and follow God’s purpose for our lives. To find the real meaning of our existence. To live in oneness with God.
Of course, herein lies arguably the biggest problem of God-centered meaning: Which of these gods and which of these approaches to meaning is the right one? Are they all “right”, and merely different facets of some Great Eternal Diamond of reality?
If they are all facets of the same Truth, why are they at each other’s throats so often?
If most of the world’s population claims to believe in a god of their choice, why are so few striving to follow the purpose or meaning of life that they claim the god of their choice advocates?
It’s a Bit of a Mess
If we set aside the nasty disagreements between sects, each believing it has “the answer” to meaning and purpose, if we pretend that they simply disagree peaceably on which has the real insight, the whole business is still a bit of a mess. Why can’t thoughtful people convene a huge meeting of all god-believers and hammer out which approach is the real one, the true one, the most likely to reflect the real God?
Problem is, not only can they not agree, they really don’t disagree peaceably. They are trying to convert each other (with varying degrees of energy, piety and nastiness) to each other’s point of view.
But the Renaissance Mind seeks an answer that is removed from presuppositions and personal preference. We should take a shot, at least, at trying to understand what is most likely to be real and true and workable, setting aside what we have been taught or steeped in from our youth. Then we might hope to find some useful extrinsic meaning and purpose for our Renaissance lives.
I think there is an approach. But first we’ll take a look at “intrinsic” meaning and purpose… next time.
