"Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
-Joseph Campbell
Meaninglessness
What is it?
The world has no objective meaning, and yet we humans also seem to have an inherent yearning for purpose and meaning in our lives. While this may seem an impossible paradox, to the rescue comes Joseph Campbell who was fond of telling his students that WE, each of us, ARE the meaning in this world. With Campbell's perspective in mind, we actually nourish our need for meaning and purpose by developing a deep understanding and appreciation for who we are and, consequently, how we want to live our lives. It's what Campbell called our "bliss," and finding it, whether through work, spirituality, recreation, art, education, relationships, or any other manner of pursuits, is the answer to life's meaningless. But it's important for us modern adults to realize that developing a meaningful identity in this world is a bit of a balancing act. Because, on the one hand, we have to be brave enough to discover who it is that we are, and then go out into the world and be that person. And yet, we don't want to become so consumed with our journey of self-discovery that we develop a narrow identity, focused solely on our uniqueness, and our minute differences from others, as this leads to an inability to connect with others. A healthy response to meaninglessness in the modern world, then, is characterized, not only by the development of a unique and meaningful identity, but also an appreciation of those things about ourselves that make us universally human.
What are the challenges?
- To discover and embrace our own unique and important place in this world (our bliss).
- As we follow our path towards meaning, and focus on our unique strengths and interests, we must stay connected with our full humanity, including those less developed/neglected parts of ourselves.
What does adult development in the area of meaninglessness look like?
The graph below is a depiction of adult development in the area of meaninglessness. The red areas indicate unhealthy development while the green area in the middle represents the ideal state of development.
The graph below is a depiction of adult development in the area of meaninglessness. The red areas indicate unhealthy development while the green area in the middle represents the ideal state of development.
Meaninglessness
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Paradoxical Self-Actualized Split
Paradoxical: On one end of the spectrum, we never find our bliss. We struggle through life with a vague identity that is overly-inclusive and un-discerning. We lack perspective and direction, as well as an appreciation of what separates us from others.
Split: On this end of the spectrum, we focus all of our energy on identifying our unique perspectives and values but fail to incorporate the whole of our humanity into our understanding of the self. We are overly discerning and lack the ability to relate to, and may even be threatened by, others who are different. We lose sight of the fact that we humans are all born with the same basic stuff, and that we are all simply variations of a theme. We lose our ability to relate to others who are different than us, and we perpetuate a self-obsessed and divided world.
Self-Actualized: This is the ideal response to meaninglessness. We develop a healthy and deeply meaningful identity, but not one that is so narrow and rejecting, and so focused on minute differences, that we lose sight of our universal humanness. Competing tensions within ourselves (our inclinations both liberal and conservative, mathematical and artistic, nurturing and assertive, for example) are viewed as complementary, and are included in our understanding of who we are. In this way we follow our unique path while accepting, and not fearing, our full human self.
