Meaning in Life

or the Exploration of Sorrow

The links in the table on the left take you to sub-headings on this page.

An alteration in external circumstances usually gives just the appearance of change in oneself, while in actuality only a difference in emphasis of one’s character traits has occurred. A switch to a better situation allows the better traits of oneself to blossom at the expense of the weaker traits (the opposite process occurs if the person switches to a worse situation). A change in circumstances produces little in the way of character transformation. So a change in one’s beliefs is far more important than a change in one’s external circumstances.

The quickest way to produce internal change is to engage in psycho-analysis. A deep psycho-analysis facilitates character change since it has the function of removing confusion and a lot of anxiety from the subconscious mind. As confusion is removed, the negative subconscious beliefs that were originally induced by such confusion can be relinquished and more harmonious beliefs embraced instead. This process results in the removal of elements of instability and rigidity from the person's character and thus enables his character to become more flexible (assuming that the psycho-analysis has been carried on for a sufficient length of time). [¹]

When a psycho-analysis comes to an end the individual has eliminated as much subconscious anxiety as he is capable of up to that time (further insights may still come occasionally). Hence he has changed his subconscious beliefs as much as is possible for him. However, his personal transformation need not stop just because analysis has stopped. Further character transformation now becomes a matter of choice, and occurs through the practice of changing present inadequate conscious beliefs about himself and about the nature of reality into more harmonious ones.

The overall process is that the practice of psycho-analysis enables a person to change his subconscious beliefs, then the focus on choice enables that person to change his conscious beliefs. Conscious beliefs that are negative ones are always dependent on negative beliefs that are subconscious. Therefore, to try to change important conscious beliefs without first changing relevant subconscious ones will always produce poor results. Why is this?  Negative subconscious beliefs help create determinism, and determinism hinders the attempt to consciously change the conscious beliefs. The reason for this is that negative subconscious beliefs are associated with anxiety, and determinism is initially created as a defence against such anxiety. Determinism can cause rigid and stereotyped behaviour in situations that the person finds unpleasant, and this behaviour is the price to pay for reducing the intensity of anxiety. So if the person tries consciously to overcome conscious negative beliefs (and thus over-ride determinism), this anxiety will flood into his mind. [²]

The exploration of subconscious beliefs is the study of the past – and the domain of the past is dynamic psychology. Then the exploration of conscious beliefs is the study of the present – and the domain of the present is existentialism.

Hierarchy of Beliefs

Beliefs about experiences generate judgements about those experiences. Then our emotional responses follow. [³]. So there is another factor to add, that of the intensity of emotional responses to our experiences. Some experiences generate intense emotions in us, and some do not. An intense emotional response indicates that we have triggered a central belief, a belief that is of central importance to us. 

Emotions are produced from unconscious ideas, but not all such ideas are important to any particular person. [4]. It is the person’s experiences of life, and his attitudes to those experiences, that associate intensity with some emotions and not with other ones. This is why some emotions dominate the person, whereas others do not.

There is a simple hierarchy of significance in which I put all my central beliefs :

Level 1
My primary set of beliefs concerns those beliefs about the nature of reality and the way that such reality functions. A central feature of reality is my understanding of the relationship with my soul. These beliefs govern the emotional responses to reality that  I experience, and determine why it is worthwhile to achieve (or not to achieve) something.

Level 2
A secondary set of beliefs are those that  I have about myself ; these beliefs generate my emotional responses to myself  (produced by the comparison of my idealised self-image with my actual image), and help determine what I am capable of achieving.

Level 3
A tertiary set of beliefs are those that concern personal relationships ; these beliefs generate my inter-personal emotions.

My hierarchy of beliefs is not always consistent and harmonious. Conflict arises when the belief systems from levels (1), (2) and (3) are not in harmony with one another. On important issues, changing one’s beliefs is not easy to do. Changing a belief about reality may have undesirable knock-on effects in levels (2) and (3). Emphasising a positive belief in the ego may not fit into levels (1) or (3).

How should a person handle conflict in his belief systems?  By an existential inquiry into them!  An existential inquiry explores the meaning that each important belief has for the person now, in the present time, and ignores what meaning each belief once had in the past. Beliefs change their meaning for a person as that person evolves. When the person understands the power of determinism then such determinism can be allowed for when undertaking this inquiry.

The Question Why?

Mankind’s relationship to reality is the domain of metaphysical speculation. Such speculation concerns the nature of mankind and the nature of that reality in which mankind is embedded. My primary beliefs are metaphysical ones: they help set for me the problem of meaning. They generate the question ‘ Why? ’.  Why should I practice a particular code of morality?  Why should I pursue particular ideals?  More importantly, why do I have a particular problem?

One way to look at the question ‘ Why?’ is that it focuses on the psychological quality of life as lived by a person.

A person can learn to cope with any problem by utilising will power. But when he begins to ask himself why he should act in that way then he is beginning his journey into metaphysics. The question ‘ Why?’ sets the framework of all spiritual idealism, though for most idealists the answer may be just intuitive and not clearly and rationally conceptualised.

The question ‘ Why?’ relates to purpose and meaning in life. It needs to be separated from the question ‘How? ’, which relates to the mechanisms by which processes occur. The question ‘How?’ is the central concern of science, but science has no means of answering the question ‘ Why?’.  Metaphysics is outside the domain of science.

Nevertheless, the scientific attitude of impartial inquiry and empirical exploration into a problem is applicable to every domain of experience, including metaphysics. This distinction is very important. The content of science is valid only within the ideology of science, but the scientific attitude is a necessary ingredient of any deliberate process of character transformation. [5]

The Stance of Existentialism

Friedrich Nietzsche posed the question ‘Why should the world have meaning?’.  His answer was ‘We seek meaning in the world so as to give ourselves meaning’.  I agree with this view, but how is meaning to be interpreted ?

First of all, to get anywhere the search for meaning requires discipline. When social change produces new forms of freedom (whether social, political, religious, etc), the person needs to subject himself to some code or ideal focused on the quality of life. Otherwise such freedom only generates licence and social disorder. If the person seeks to be defined through his individuality, then his code of ethics needs to emphasise self-discipline. Whereas if a person prefers to be socially-defined, then his code of ethics should emphasise social discipline.

In the inquiry the idealistic ego takes centre-stage, with its soul in the background as an occasional helper. The ego’s understanding of its existential reality is the measure of its valuation of reality and of social relationships. [This view is similar to the one of Protagoras : man is the measure of all things.]  

In the inquiry the ego finds confusion everywhere, even in its understanding of its own nature. As it removes confusion from all of its relationships the ego also removes confusion from within itself. A deep inquiry reveals that all traditional views of morality, religion, and the spiritual life in general are pervaded by self-deception. The presence of such self-deception is the reason why the scientific attitude has to underpin the inquiry and not any reliance on tradition. [6]

[ To be more specific on this point : views of reality come in two forms. The ‘big’ view concerns speculation about the cosmos, heaven, hell, levels of spirituality and about evolution of races. Such a view is that propounded by theosophy and Buddhism. I find such speculation interesting and it seems quite plausible. There is also the ‘little’ view which speculates about the individual person, his/her ego, and the nature of his/her reality (physical, astral, mental). However, traditional views of the person are all limited because the subconscious mind was not understood. This limitation means that traditional views contain confusion and self-deception.]

The existentialist seeks a view of life that can help him to neutralise his anxiety. The way that existence initially appeals to him generates the view that the meaning of life should be the living of life : life should be a drama within the perspective of romanticism. To this attitude can be added the view that the purpose of  life is the contemplation of life itself – philosophy becomes the ultimate challenge to the individual. However, these attitudes are confounded by the regular and repetitive experiences of sorrow that the existentialist becomes enmeshed in. This sorrow seems to have no meaning.

The reality of sorrow and tragedy in one’s life always produces questions like: ‘Why does such sorrow exist if humanity once lived in the paradise of Eden?’.  ‘Why does a good god inflict suffering on humanity?’.   Such questions are ethical ones, and most religious people accept ready-made ethical answers from their religion, such as ‘The ways of god towards man cannot be comprehended by man’s reason’.

The reality of sorrow and tragedy in his life drives the existentialist out of his previous view that life is to be lived. He starts his quest for meaning by trying to understand why sorrow exists. What is the source of his suffering?  He may start in the traditional manner by exploring religions, but when any valued belief system (such as a religion) is found to contain confusion and self-deception then that belief system ceases to carry meaning for him – he cannot be satisfied by the simple answers that religions give. He has to seek an alternative to religion.

The existentialist does not start with an encompassing belief system. His task is to create one, re-moulding past ideas of meaning if necessary. How is he to do this?  In the absence of a primary belief he has to rely solely on method and the scientific attitude, guided by his intuitive feelings. The inquiry has to generate its own answers. The search for meaning becomes a search for an authentic criterion with which to interpret one’s experiences.
[ For comparison, the French philosopher Rene Descartes searched for an authentic criterion on which to base knowledge].

The existentialist is searching for a primary belief, so all beliefs have to be questioned, including his beliefs about himself. He probes all conceptions about the world, all conceptions of ultimate reality ; this questioning leads into new views on karma and reincarnation. He probes all conceptions about relationships. He probes relationships even in the act of relating : he is a ‘real time’ empiricist and not an armchair empiricist.

His practice becomes the ideal of truth underpinned by the commitment to live his ideas.

Only by living his ideas can he determine whether his interpretations of his experience are true or false. [7]. The only restraint is to confine his feelings of destructiveness, when they arise, to phantasy. Answers unfold through the resolution and determination of the idealist to follow his thoughts wherever they lead him. And they lead him through the darkness of internal conflict within his own subconscious mind.

The Quest for Meaning

I look at these ideas from a different perspective (usually my different perspectives reflect the influence of different moods). In the wilderness that is an inevitable part of the spiritual journey, where is Ariadne’s thread?  What is the guiding principle that can lead the seeker out of the maze of confusion?
It is the quest for meaning.

I consider what this quest achieves. It enables the seeker to step outside the constraints of current ideology, so that new ideas can be generated. Ideological thinking is the major obstacle to personal growth. Ideology claims that all the answers to all of life’s problems are contained within it ; it is a self-contained system of values. Religious thinkers can easily see the ideological nature of materialism as a way of life, but fail to see that any religion is itself an ideology too.

Ideology is created when language, or the language of critical analysis, ceases to change and becomes static. When any writer or thinker creates new ideas that are socially-valued, then these ideas are added to the existing stock of social values. Hence language contains embedded values. When language becomes static, values become static as well (for example, the confinement of critical thought to logic, within twentieth-century British philosophy, to the exclusion of metaphysics, has meant that such static philosophy has failed to keep up with the needs of modern times). So when language becomes static then ideological thinking takes the mind round in circles. [8]

Only the quest for meaning gives the seeker the ability to go beyond ideology, beyond ideology to life itself. The quest for meaning involves the questioning of all the seeker’s pre-conceived and established ideas about life. Under the impact of deep inquiry everything will change, including the seeker. Descartes’ limitation was that he restricted this inquiry to rationalism. This is not penetrating enough. This is not radical enough. If ideas remain vague then meaning remains vague too.

To carry on my analysis I need a couple of definitions, which form a pair of opposites (or a binary relationship).

I define values to be the standards that I use to underpin my sense of identity.

I define the meaning of something to be the way that it teaches me to justify and validate concepts of the noble life.

The distinction between values and meanings relate to the distinction between psychology and existentialism, which is the distinction between past and present. [9]

Psychological statements and beliefs are concerned with values, the values that relationships have for the person. He explores what he gains and loses from his relationships. These beliefs provide a person with his sense of social identity.

Existential statements and beliefs are concerned with meaning (and purpose), the meaning (and purpose) that relationships have for the person. He explores why he needs, or does not need, relationships. These beliefs provide a person with his sense of individuality (or individual identity). [10]

To embrace life requires an existential inquiry into the seeker’s own psychology. The quest for meaning is fundamentally an intuitive search into all values. Nietzsche understood this when he claimed that the task of the new breed of philosopher is the revaluation of all values.

Power, Justice and Freedom

Where does meaning terminate?  Where does the search for meaning lead the seeker ?  To one of three possible destinations. There are three levels of meaning, and these correspond to the explorations of power, justice, and freedom.

The existentialist follows a deep inquiry into all values. He uses truth as his guide, and not goodness. Only the whole-hearted pursuit of truth can exorcise self-deception and delusion, and propel the seeker beyond the confines of any ideology. The pursuit of goodness cannot do this since the person inhibits the exploration of the morally-bad side of himself.

First level: power

This level revolves around the pursuit of power, which everyone engages in, in one way or another (consciously or subconsciously). Power is pursued through the use of the loop of projection and introjection. [11]. Since everyone uses this loop, so everyone pursues power. When this pursuit is conscious, when the person knows that he wants power, then power generates an exhilarating buzz. The buzz is similar to that felt by driving a fast car, or a fast motorcycle, or being at the helm of a fast motorboat.

Initially, power is sought externally, in relationships based on social, political or religious factors. The person has power by virtue of his position or role in some hierarchical structure. Eventually he graduates to seeking power internally, by means of artistic expression or the pursuit of knowledge. Power is intoxicating. But power is also an illusion, an illusion that has grades of fascination for the person. For example: the relation between power and knowledge is the most refined and subtle illusion that exists at this level.

The centrality of power in one’s ideals is an illusion since the power that one feels does not come from oneself, but from either the soul or the immanent god. The soul can turn on this power, but it can just as easily turn it off. It is the soul that controls the intensity of power, while the ego merely directs it into desired channels of expression.

The task of the existentialist is to realise this, not just by rational thought alone, but in every cell of his being. He has to bring into full awareness and full consciousness his deep longing for power, and then he can let go of it. This awareness is achieved through the experience of total powerlessness. Power is the basis of one’s definition of oneself, of one’s sense of identity. When one has power, then the search for meaning comes to an end. But when one is powerless, the search continues to the next level.

Second level: justice

Everyone engages in power, but not many people follow justice. And those who do follow justice often find it hard to separate justice from the desire for power, especially in politics. Initially, justice is sought externally, at the political level. Eventually justice is sought internally, at the spiritual level.

Like power, the centrality of justice in one’s ideals is also an illusion. Usually a person does not pay much attention to justice until he becomes a victim of injustice. Hence it may be necessary, from a spiritual point of view, to subject spiritual seekers to injustice so that they become aware of the wide range of injustice in human societies. Awareness of injustice is a powerful way to develop compassion and to facilitate the exercise of forgiveness and acceptance.

Justice is only one component of human evolution, along with survival of the fittest and the process of abreaction. [12]. So sometimes justice is fulfilled, and sometimes it is denied. Either way, it provides the ground of much positive idealism in the evolution of society.

Again, as with power, the task of the existentialist is to realise this and bring into full awareness and full consciousness his deep longing for justice, and then he can let go of it. If one has satisfied the desire for justice, then the search for meaning comes to an end. Only when spiritual justice is denied to oneself can the search be continued to the next level.

Third level: freedom

The barrier to freedom is fear. This level is still unknown to me.

When these three ideals are pursued at a spiritual level, they correspond to the three levels of faith, love, and equanimity. Equanimity should be the state of mind attained when spiritual freedom has been achieved. [13]

In the course of his personal evolution, the seeker will eventually break free from the attractions of power. Then he graduates to a focus on justice. So whilst freedom may have been attained in the lower spheres of politics and relationships, spiritual freedom is still a dream for the future. So, pragmatically, the search for meaning terminates in a personal interpretation of spiritual justice! [14]

The Search for Justice

In the past of yesteryear, ideas on the spiritual life centred on the development of psychic abilities, such as mysticism, meditation, healing, extra-sensory perception. These ideas no longer interest me in the way that they once did. For me the central task of modern times is not psychism but the exploration of, the creation of, and the practice of holistic concepts of spiritual justice. Justice is an encompassing concept that man has to create for himself within all his relationships and attitudes to life. Mankind will evolve just to the extent that its sense of justice also evolves.

Why justice?  All higher ideals are carried on an emotional base of vanity (idealism is the sublimation of vanity). Vanity is the complementary emotion to self-pity, so when vanity is emphasised it neutralises self-pity. Hence, in my view, all ideals arise in order to offset self-pity. Self-pity by itself gives rise to a specific form of depression, whose unconscious idea is that there is no justice in life. Therefore all ideals are in some way a reaction against this unconscious idea. All ideals have an undercurrent of the search for justice within them. As ideals become less materialistic so the undercurrent of this search becomes more powerful. [15]

The concepts of meaning in any age determine the concepts of justice. The kind of justice that I am seeking is not reward for effort but equity or fairness. Effort is only rewarded when it is successful. Equity means being able to expect recompense when one has done one’s best but still failed, because a task was beyond one’s ability. Equity means being given justice according to one’s conscience.

The quest for meaning seems to be a purely western phenomenon. In the east, Indian philosophies advocate the practice of ego-denial. In this perspective, denying the ego also denies the reality of the ego’s suffering, so the concept of meaning has little relevance and little significance. Justice, under the concept of karma, has not progressed beyond the stage of reward and punishment. Whereas, in the west the concepts of character transformation and of psycho-therapy have been emerging and are displacing the concept of ego-denial. Within the concept of character transformation the quest for meaning is very relevant and significant. The eastern and the western views on the importance of  Earth life are distinct and incompatible.

I no longer seek meaning in life. Whether this is temporary or permanent I do not know. Now that my self-analysis is just a distant memory, what does the future hold for me ?  I do not know. But like Jean-Jacques Rousseau I follow my feelings. When the interior explorer travels into the unknown, into the unknown space of his own mind, feelings are his only guide. Why ?

Truth always manifests first as intuitive feelings.

Only later is it understood !

The ideas in this article are continued in the article Levels of Suffering, written at a later date.

The number in brackets at the end of each reference takes you back to the paragraph that featured it. The addresses of my other websites are on the Links page.

[¹]. I have articles on character change and the process of psycho-analysis on my website The Subconscious Mind. [1]

[²]. See the article on Determinism. [2]

[³]. A judgement about an experience comes before the generation of an emotional response to that experience. This is explained in the article Psychology of Perception, section First Summary. [3]

[4]. I introduce the use of the term ‘unconscious idea’ in the first article on Emotion. [4]

[5]. The ideology of science is described in the article Paradigm and Ideology, on my website A Modern Thinker. [5]

[6]. See the article Confusion.
There is a section on self-deception in the article Characteristics of a Psycho-Analysis, on my website The Subconscious Mind. [6]

[7]. Articles on the pursuit of truth are given in section 1 on my philosophy website A Modern Thinker. [7]

[8]. There are articles on the philosophy of language on my philosophy website A Modern Thinker. [8]

[9]. The differences between existentialism and psychology, and between meaning and value, are described in the section on sign systems on my website A Modern Thinker. [9]

[10]. The idea of having two identities, a social identity and an individual identity, is introduced in the article Confusion.
A more detailed analysis is given in the article Two Identities, on my website The Subconscious Mind. [10]

[11]. For ideas on power, see the article Power.
Also, see the article Projection and Introjection. [11]

[12]. My analysis of the process of abreaction is given in the five articles on Abreaction. See home page. [12]

[13]. The levels of faith, love and equanimity are described in section 2 on my website Patterns of Spirituality. [13]

[14]. There is an article on Justification on my websites The Subconscious Mind and Patterns of Spirituality. [14]

[15]. My definitions, descriptions, and analysis of emotions are given in the three articles on Emotion. See home page. [15]

There are more ideas about meaning, language and ideology (though at a more abstract level) in the article Structure and Ideology, on my website A Modern Thinker.

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Copyright @2003  Ian Heath
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