The main guiding force in all of us is a desire for sense. With meaning, we thrive; without it, we fight every step of the way. Why is that? Since inspiration needs to be inspired. And loss of inspiration is a clear road to boredom, darkness and depression.
For thousands of years, philosophers have been agonizing about the ultimate 'Why': why do we exist? Why are we over here? What does all this mean? Though seductive, it is the road of mental gymnastics with two inexorable outcomes: that (a) 'life is essentially pointless' or that (b) 'the essence of life lies outside our (human) knowledge.'
The good thing for us realistic people is that no result counts. In reality, a deep sense of personal significance does not require the presence of a grand prime-directive at all.
The Easy Ones are the best answers
What is that? And it turns out that our brains and bodies are happily energized by some mixture of adequately compelling 'why s' – from the easiest (eating, drinking, heading to the bathroom) to the most nuanced (defending democracy, raising the family, sending mankind to Mars).
Of course, not all 'whys' are the same. Those 'whys' have more staying force – if our only 'why' was to clean our bladders, we'd have a lot of existential vacuums to compete with between bathroom breaks. And while some 'whys' are generally beyond our influence, other 'whys' are more vulnerable to the outer winds of fate and fortune. But if we are so quick to please – and the reasons are so abundant – then does it still feel so hard to get out of bed in the morning? How is it that we're losing track of why? What is it that stops us from seizing the day, every day?
The Disease Of Intentions
In an perfect universe, we will have a good and steady supply of continuous inspiration. A strong and convincing view of why things are the way they are, what is best to do, and why to do so. And sometimes that's how it feels. We're slipping for a few hours, days, weeks, even years. Strong, purposeful, and resplendent in the mastery of our own destiny.
Yet the tragedy hits. It could be a life-altering tragedy, a failing relationship, or a mid-life crisis. It could be empty-nest syndrome, a missed investment, or even having something we've always wanted. Much too suddenly, we find ourselves overshadowed by an abrupt black-out. We are approaching a motivational vacuum – perhaps seconds, perhaps decades – that empty us of purpose and robs us of drive and momentum.
The issue with the motivation, it transpires, is not supply. It's just continuity.
Four complementary approaches to the meaning of
And what's the solution to that? In order to tackle this issue, I have spent the last decade or so distilling a coherent solution from the thoughts and writings of many great thinkers. I call it the REAP paradigm – and it consists of four complementary sense paths:
Reactive Sense: The sense of values;
External Nature: the nature of people;
Active Meaning: implies by purpose; and
Passive Sense: the sense of understanding.
The key, huh? While each path will provide an adequate and appropriate source of personal significance at any given time, it is the deliberate synthesis of all four paths together that provides a fail-safe , reliable significance and inspiration over time.
I'm going to build on the 'whats' and 'hows' of each direction in a collection of forthcoming posts. Here are few short meanings for now:
1. Reactive Interpretation: Interpretation by Values
From compassion, goodness and persistence to business, competence and honesty – our ideals and the order that we prioritize them – are the basic concepts that govern our actions.
Their great power, huh? Our values, once established, are fully beyond our power. They are the 'Whys' that direct our acts when our choices are too many, and the 'Whys' that direct our responses when our choices are too few.
2. External Meaning: Meaning by Citizens
External sense is the 'why' we get by devoting ourselves to the enjoyment and well-being of others. It's the 'Why' that drives the parents, the 'Why' that upholds sacrifice, and the 'Why' that encourages devotion to a need beyond our own.
At its heart, the outer sense is the manifestation of devotion. We should always chose love; its job is never over, and its light is a constant companion to our emotions, words and deeds.
3. Active Meaning: Meaning by intent
Our new goal is whatever the goal we're focused on right now. When working well, it gives one a good sense of immediate significance.
But aim variables are often beyond our grasp, must be continually redefined and kept running to remain alive, and can often be entangled in unsolvable knots. As we all quickly find out, overcoming its capricious complexity is a lifetime of effort.
Our current aim may be huge (like curing cancer) or it may be minor (like having our next meal) or it may be a small thing that is part of something larger (like feeding so we can get on with curing cancer). At some point, it might also take us back to the other three directions of REAP.
In any situation, the intention is the 'Why' that addresses the question – 'I'm doing this right now because I want to do it or have it.'
4. Passive Interpretation: the interpretation of understanding
Passive interpretation is a vicarious 'why' interpretation. A 'why' that comes not from knowing our acts in the universe, but from their implications and beyond.
Why is it raining? What do they say? Why did Harry meet with Sally? What made them fall in love?
Even by learning, we receive these 'whys.' We integrate data from our own and recorded interactions, constantly constructing ever more complicated versions of the world around us, seeking to distill order and laws in its turmoil.
We also experience it in realms beyond our own, immersing ourselves in knowing the motivations and narratives of others, losing ourselves in the pre-digested causality of story-telling.
Whatever the source, passive sense is the 'why' that comes from connecting dots, seeing A lead to B lead to C, staring at the universe and thinking, 'I get it.'
