A Better Thing To Do Instead Of Asking About The Meaning Of Life
How science, experience, and philosophy explain our part in the creation of our world
I’ve always been told you should learn from your mistakes. So far, this might be my greatest lesson from that nonstop series of trial and error, which continues to this very day.
It’s one of these things you can only see clearly after screwing up for decades.
Namely, many of the mistakes in my life have been the result of waiting for things to come to me instead of creating conditions where they could manifest themselves. In other words, I was too passive instead of being active.
Call it a fundamental misunderstanding, but I’m not unique in this regard.
Humanity itself suffers from a similar misunderstanding as well, and it takes the form of a question: what is the meaning of life. Ultimately, we’ve all asked it. I’m sure you’ve also read or sought out wise replies to the question at some point too.
But just by asking someone else, or the universe itself, for a singular answer to that massive question means you’ve already fallen victim to the misunderstanding. You’re waiting for a reply that’ll never come, just like me passively expecting things to appear.
Fortunately, there’s a better thing to do than seeking this universal answer. It’s been given to us in puzzle pieces through philosophy, psychology, science, and soldiers surviving battlefields across time.
The solution is terrifying, and liberating all at once but requires some work. The first stage is recognizing the power of choice.
Recognizing Agency
The Stoic philosopher Epictetus and the psychologist Viktor Frankl lived two thousand years apart, in very different times. But both saw a similar cause to human hopelessness: lack of agency.
Each learned this through experience. Frankl was in four different Nazi concentration camps in WWII, while Epictetus was a slave living in the Roman Empire. Obviously, these conditions resulted in a painful existence.
However, both prisoners found choice, even in places where none existed. It was hiding in what historian Pierre Hadot referred to as “the inner citadel” of our mind.
In Epictetus’ Enchiridion, he reveals we ultimately choose how we see our interactions with the world around us. If we’re insulted, it’s because we choose to be. Moreover, we’re all performers in a play called life, and can choose to act our part as best we can. Even with a lowly role.
In his book Man’s Search For Meaning, Frankl calls choosing “one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances,” the “last of the human freedoms.” So, agency never totally leaves us despite our conditions.
Although just realizing you have choice isn’t enough, it must be acted on.
Applying Choice And Internal Locus Of Control
Like the two philosophers above, the average Samurai living in Japan had little control over their own lives. They generally lived and died at the whims of feudal lords. Yet they had a secret for managing their anxiety — they trained endlessly.
Being prepared as possible for combat was the one thing they could control.
Psychiatrist Jacquelyn Ferguson in her article in Corporate Wellness Magazine explains this type of thinking is called an “internal locus of control (LOC)”. Those with an internal LOC believe “they largely control what happens to them.”
She explains people who think this way are happier, have less stress, and experience more satisfaction with their life. They’re also actively expressing their agency. Furthermore, soldiers still do this today.
The present-day Army Ranger’s motto is “Sua Sponte,” which means “of your own accord” in Latin. It espouses an idea that one should correct problems they see around them without waiting to be told to do so. Effectively, it’s internal LOC expressed and lived in two words.
But it goes beyond the battlefield. When you put a mess into order within your world — on your own accord — you’re expressing agency. You’re living that choice. Now, let’s take this idea even further.
An Unfinished World And Taking Part In Creation
Although William James is listed as the father of American psychology, he’s also known as a philosopher. Yet, the psychologist has another odd distinction. Despite living over a hundred years ago, James used the term “multiverse,” but he meant something different than the science of today.
As historian Will Durant explains in The Story of Philosophy, James felt the word universe too rigid since its base “uni” means one: such as one fate, one way, or one infinite power we’re a pawn to.
James preferred the idea of a multiverse because it’s so large, and so many factors could change everything around you. It’s too big and complex to be fated. This chaotic nature also makes it unsettled, or “unfinished.” And since this world is a work in progress, it means we have choice.
Doctor of Philosophy Spencer Klavan also sees the universe as something we participate in. He finds evidence in physics. In the current Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum physics, there’s a concept called Superposition.
It means before a particle is measured, it can be in multiple places or have many properties at one time. So, the act of observation actually has an impact on its behavior. In his book How To Save The West: Ancient Wisdom For 5 Modern Crises, Klavan says:
“If the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics is right, and a particle may be superposed in many places or states until it’s observed, then the world is not a multiverse, but a relationship. Reality exists outside of us, but it takes its final and definitive form only when interacting with human perception.”
He further compares it to the Biblical creation story. But in Klavan’s opinion, it’s not just a story of God creating the earth, but humanity’s participation. He says:
“The universe of the Copenhagen interpretation looks very much like the work of a God who invites us to participate with him in making the world. The kind of God who would make the animals, but call upon Adam to consummate their creation by giving them names.”
So, what does this all mean? Well, everything you’ve read here is part of the puzzle pieces built over countless generations pointing to a direction. Here’s where we put it together into a picture.
Your Active Part In Creating The Unfinished World
When I was younger, I waited for things to be explained to me instead of seeking out answers myself. This likewise applied to waiting for others to fix things for me. It continued in school too. For some reason I figured if I just got high enough grades, the world would open up for me.
This habit of waiting caused things and experiences to fly by. I could have been actively trying to learn things on my own, develop skills, and take a more active participation in making the world around me. It only took forty-six years, but now I get it.
It’s the same as asking that ultimate question: what’s the meaning of life. In Man’s Search For Meaning, Frankl says there’s not one answer. It’s like asking a chess champion what “the best move is.” Well, it depends. Frankl explains:
“Man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”
In other words, we have choice. That internal locus of control is a real thing, especially if we fix things around us by our own accord. The universe isn’t fated, and there isn’t one “meaning of life.” Fortunately, since this world is unfinished, we can choose to take part in its creation.
It’s terrifying because no one can answer the question for you. But this is equally liberating since only you can figure it out. Therefore, everyone’s meaning of life will be different, and it will likely change over time.
So a better thing to do instead of asking another about the meaning of life is to answer the question yourself. Inevitably, only you can.
-Originally posted on Medium 11/6/23