Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Finding Meaning

This is elusive, and surprising when it does happen.  Sure, I can overlay meaning on to any social situation, any small interaction, that's true.  When *real* meaning happens, it is often surprising, and doesn't often seem to be related to level of input, not as they correlate to my own internal subjective understandings.  People think that greater efforts = greater meaning or value, and things that are most rare are the most valuable, but that doesn't mean those items or experiences have meaning, not in and of itself.   Sure, there could be a correlation between meaning and stability, for instance, but again, those two mental states may just find themselves to be friends, and not principles in production of a permanent narrative.  That doesn't mean that elusive objects of experiences aren't chock full of meaning, either, and you'll find people on both sides of this issue.  A middle aged man might buy a new sports car becuase he's experiencing some need to find meaning, and the sports car, or it's purchase, may  indeed provide meaning for him.  Or it may provide something he didn't expect, but that's just my point.  Often times, meaning comes from the unexpected, those things you don't plan for, necessarily.  The trick is to turn your head a little and start to see them flying around. More tomorrow.

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