I am almost obsessed with living a life of meaning - something beyond happiness. Happiness has always seemed to me, to be a frivolous or superficial basis on which to judge the quality of one's life. This was reinforced some years back when I came across the following passage, by the writer, John Powell: Do we get fulfilled by trying to have all the experiences we can? Is it true that the more experiences a person has, the more fulfilled or developed he or she will be as a person? Or Is a person fulfilled by making a commitment and then choosing experiences according to whether they honour, promote and reaffirm the commitment. Trying to choose all available experiences is confusing, fragmenting and disintegrating to the human person. Human nature desires reality as somehow ordered and meaningful. This implies a value structure, priorities. It is in the light of these values and priorities that we must evaluate experiences.
I have read so many beautiful passages and works by New Age musicians and writers, but without a faith context, for me, they merely evaporate into nothingness - much as an icecream, so creamy and sweet to the taste, once consumed, leaves little behind of nutritional or nurture value. I do not agree when people say that the meaning of life is about the journey not the destination, because as a Christian, I look forward to union with God. I must appreciate the journey in itself as it is what leads to and teaches me about Him. The context however, of the journey, is that it is always a journey towards Him. It is not a sightseeing journey of exploration. It is a journey of purpose. And in that, it is different from the journey of the wanderer and the philosopher. It knows it has an ultimate destination - God, who is my home.
No comments:
Post a Comment