Sentimental Liberation

“Cause we live in a time/When meaning falls in splinters from our lives

And that’s why I’ve traveled far/Cause I come so together where you are…”

-       Bob Welch

“Don't run.  Nobody exists on purpose.  Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s going to die. Come watch TV.”

–      Dan Harmon via “Morty”

Without necessarily accepting either as being True, I would argue that both sentiments are ultimately hopeful, freeing and life affirming expressions. 

Rather then resigning oneself to a despairing and nihilistic acceptance of the notion that we are alone in the universe and that human lives lack an intrinsic Meaning, each reflects different aspects of an impulse to seek out and create Purpose. 

Perhaps we would view existence differently if our life expectancies were only 24 hours long, or if they spanned 500 years.   In any event, we all are present here and now, so we might as well strive to produce something…a family, a body of work, a legacy, anything that could be used to define, positively, our identity and what our relation is to the rest of what is known.

These creative strivings generally involve some measure of collaboration with other humans.  And if our lifespans are finite, we might as well make our existences and associations count.  Embrace what matters to us and figure out how to find Meaning in every effort…from taking a breath, a business meeting, or the hand of another in marriage.  Find Purpose in each moment, value in every interaction, and joy in our participation in a story that we can help shape.

Next up: perspectives on zoning?

Stay tuned, as more will follow.