Why am I here?

“Why am I here?”

The million dollar question……

The ONLY question……

So, having asked the question, the only question that matters to each and every one of us [whether or not we care to admit it], I have to ask “What is the point of me waxing philosophical and meandering on about this?”

Well, here’s the point, in my case, writing helps me process thoughts, helps me draw conclusions, somehow elucidates my journey. Reading and meditating can do the same things, of course.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, a friend of mine, Amir Zoghi, has said that men are meaning-making machines. He also said that the only meaning that anything has is the meaning that we attach to it. In other words, all meaning is nothing but our personal view on what it means. Whilst some individuals may agree with our view of the “meaning” of a particular event, many others would attribute a very different meaning to the same event/occurrence.

And this is the challenge of it all, the reason for our confusion, the reason for our lack of tolerance of others and, dare I say it, the reason for our “fear”.

What do I mean by “the reason for our fear?” I hear you say. I’m actually not sure but it appears to me that, when we act intolerantly of someone else’s view, we are acting from a place of fear.

In my case, anyway, I think that, when I centre myself and track down internally what is happening to me and track the feeling back to the thought that triggered it, it seems to me to be fear. Of what am I afraid? That I am not good enough or something like that. I suspect that I have tried to develop a framework from which to live my life and, when someone questions it or [in my internal view] attempts to invalidate it, I feel fear and my response can be any one of a number of things – withdrawal, shut-down, anger.

Now, as I analyse these things happening, it does appear to me to stem from this whole “meaning” thing.

So, what would it mean if I didn’t attach meaning to anything?

Would it be possible to actually do this? Given that I have spent my whole life attaching meaning to everything, is it possible to let go of my “attachment” to the meanings that I have given to all of the events of my life?

I suspect not. I do know that some people appear to have largely overcome the issue of attaching meaning to everything and have learned to simply be present to the moment and simply accept “what is” but, I suspect the truth is that it is a very small number of people, overall.

Perhaps, some Buddhist monks and other drop-outs. Perhaps some of the “gurus” we see and hear about but, overall, I suspect it must be a very small number of people because it seems to me to be so hard to do.

Now, just because I think it is difficult, does not actually mean that is the case but I dare you to do so. I dare you to have some shitty [which is simply validation that you attached a meaning to something by labelling it as “shitty”], thing happen to you and simply accept it and not label it!!

Yes, it’s really tough, isn’t it?

Not sure where this ramble is leading but I think this is, somehow, a continuation of my post about “The Human Condition”.

Yes, in my view, this need to attach meaning to everything, this need for “order/understanding” in our life, is fundamental to the reason we are so miserable, the reason that we live so “unconsciously, the reason that we treat each other and ourselves so badly.

If one investigates various views as to “why we are here?”, there seem to be numerous answers. Many of them, of course, come from religions and, as you would expect, they’re “reason for being” is largely to answer this question, nothing more, nothing less. Human beings have been looking the “the” answer to this question since we became “conscious” so many have attempted to answer it. Of course, there are numerous variations to this question: “Why is this happening/why is that happening?”; “Why do bad things happen to good people?” etc. etc.

And, over the eons, the answer largely came from the “enlightened” ones, the priests, the religions etc.

Mere plebs [presume you know what this Australian slang word means? Well, it actually came from the Romans] like us had to depend on someone smarter, holier, more blessed than us to come; more “connected to the king/emperor/pharaoh [in a nutshell, more “important” than us] up with the “divine” answer.

If I was “created” by something/someone/Universe/Supreme Consciousness/whatever, why would they not let me know why I am here rather than create some elusive, paradoxical trail to find the answer to the “only” question that actually matters?

And, if that question doesn’t matter, how can anything else matter at all?

So, I might finish off today’s meandering and leave you to ponder this question.

I will be back tomorrow to describe some conclusions that I have drawn about this and similar questions. Until then………………………