Discovering Life’s Purpose through Meaning

It started quite trivially. A friend called in a favor for me, wanted help in analyzing a movie for its moral dilemmas and how it weighs against the Kantian theory. What struck me was not how I didn’t know Kantian philosophy, but how I didn’t know my own.

So I searched for trivial quizzes and exams that would lead me to an understanding of my core belief. A quiz said I was a Rationalist; another said I was Existential. It felt like a surface understanding of who I was, so I had to go deeper. I looked into my own writings, and one article elucidated the beginnings of my belief:

In it, I wrote that Man’s quest for the material (i.e., Money, Power) are merely manifestations of a need for something that they did not have in their past. Does who lived in penury would naturally find success in acquiring money; does who lived in the lowest rung of society would find validation in becoming part of Society’s elite. For myself, I wrote that “a life well lived is a life of experiences”. I felt that since I was impoverished of experience that thrilled me, I did not life a full life.

Then I reflected on that statement. If my life fulfillment was defined by the adventures and the experiences along the way, why hadn’t I done it? Why, during my trips in Southern Luzon, Europe, and the random sightseeing in Manila, did I “hustle” more than I “stopped to smell the flowers”? If I really found fulfillment in all these experiences, why was it that there was a sense of emptiness in all these experiences? There seemed to me something lacking in that statement. Then I thought, in all these experiences, there was a common denominator: in all of them I was always looking to that one person, that one significant individual which I would like to share these moments with.

I modified that statement: “a fulfilled life is a collection of meaningful moments with a meaningful person”. And this, seemingly, answered one question.

But is that my purpose? Is that Life’s purpose?

Let us turn to two key terms: Meaning and Purpose. Meaning is the definition or the inherent value or worth of an object, an individual. Purpose is the end goal, the rationale behind an action, the thing to be attained.

Let us first turn to Meaning: I subscribe to the existence of an Almighty God, for Reason has, to its limited extent, proven His existence. All of Creation was given Meaning by Him. For what purpose was Creation created? If God is perfect Being nothing can be added to His meaning. Merely, all of Creation is a reflection of His perfection, and in that sense glorifies Him.

So, two things can be deduced from this statement: 1, that all Meaning is a reflection of the perfect God, and 2, that all Life has inherent Meaning. Let us first assert the statement taken from the first point: 1. Since all Meaning is a reflection of the perfect God, then all Meaning glorifies His Being. That is the divine purpose.

But set this divine purpose aside, what is Life’s purpose? For what do you live? For who do you live?

To answer this, we come to point two: that all Life has Meaning in and of itself. If the “imperfect Purpose”, is to give Life meaning, then that is an erroneous statement, for value or meaning cannot be added to Meaning that already exists. Let us return to our definition of Purpose: it is the goal to be attained, the rationale behind an action. You live for success. You live for your loved ones. That is purpose.

However, that only defines purpose based on action: You live for X. But what is the Purpose of your Being? Outside of the imperfect divine purpose, what Purpose would give Life an added Value to Meaning?

Then, I began to question this rationale: if Purpose was meant to give Life meaning, and Meaning is already inherent in Life, then is there a rationale for Purpose? Outside of the imperfect, divine Purpose, should there be an objective personal Purpose?

I began to question the “action-based” Purpose. Why do you live for success? Why do you live for your loved ones? Do they give your Life Meaning? But Life in and of itself Meaning. Barring the concept of duty, outside of this obligation, for what other purpose is this Action?

I come to this subjective point: Man’s search for Meaning is not a search for Meaning. It is to answer two fundamental needs: Insecurity and Starvation.

Man seems to find Meaning in fulfilling his Life’s purpose: to be the best, to serve his fellow-man, to change the World. He thinks that this gives his Life meaning. I believe, however, that these are merely actions brought by insecurity of Meaning. It is comparable to checking the keys to your house before you leave. It is there, but one makes sure that it is there. Man does not seek meaning in his actions, but Validation and Reaffirmation. In succeeding in his field, Man validates his Meaning. In being of service to Mankind, he finds Reaffirmation of his Meaning. But he does not seek Meaning; he merely wants to reaffirm to himself that he does have Meaning.

We turn now to the other point. Money, power, success, fame, Love. Fulfillment. Man seeks to find Meaning in these things. They do not add Value or Meaning to Life. Does that mean that one should not seek these things? If Man seeks these material objects to find Meaning, then that is the wrong purpose. But if he seeks merely to nourish his body and soul, then yes he certainly should.

Man is an imperfect, temporal Being. In and of itself his Life has meaning. But he also needs Food. He also needs Love. These are needs that nourish his body and his soul.

Let us look to one analogy: the purpose of driving a car is to reach its destination. We might say that “it is the journey” but you did not choose to drive a car that one Sunday morning just to run it out of gas. It is to reach its destination. Between where you are now, and where you will be, you will choose to make “pit stops” to take bathroom breaks or to find something to eat. But that does not change the purpose, or the destination of your voyage. Checking your car if you forgot something or stopping to eat does not change the fact that you need to get to your destination. But that also does not mean you should not stop to it. Those are imperatives of an imperfect Being.

Therefore, Man’s Life is filled with answering for Reaffirmation and Nourishment. Those are necessities for his Imperfect Being. Outside all of these needs, and outside of the concept of duty, does he need a personal Purpose? Cannot the divine Purpose (to glorify and have meaning in the Almighty) suffice?

To sum: Life derives Meaning from the Almighty. Its purpose is not to give Meaning to Him, but to reflect in the fullness of His Meaning. Man does not need to give his Life Meaning, for it is already inherent in him. His divine purpose is to seek fullness of Meaning in the Creator. Outside of this, he lives in the world seeking Reaffirmation and Nourishment, which are imperatives of his imperfect Being.

Outside of the divine Purpose, Man does not need Purpose to find a Meaning that is already there. Outside of Reaffirmation and Nourishment, Life is merely meant to be lived, for Life is a reflection of the fullness of Meaning of the Almighty. It may be that while Life is meant to be lived, in that sense it must be lived well, if it is to reflect the Perfect Meaning of the Almighty.