FOLLOW THE GOD-THREAD (Shaping Dilemma)

FOLLOW THE GOD-THREAD (Shaping Dilemma)

Here’s the most pretzel-brain-making question there ever was in the history of human thought: “Life is ___________” (fill in the blank).

That’s the deceptively innocuous-looking problem that, given even just a little bit of space and time, can toss you smack-dab onto the back of the Chaos-Beast that takes you on a ride straight down the most convoluted and paradoxical rabbit hole a thinking being will ever encounter.  Argh!

I’ll tell you right now going in: That question actually has no “Right Answer.”

Every wise guy and Smarty Pants that ever lived has had a go at it and finally just made do with whatever it was they made up when, eventually, they fell off the Beast and bit the dust big time.

bull-rider getting thrown off his ride
“getting thrown off a bull” by Ed Schipul via Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0]

MY FAVORITE STORY ABOUT THE MEANING OF LIFE

My own favorite story connected with this exercise in paradox-wrangling is the one Kurt Vonnegut presented in his deeply satirical, dystopian novel, CAT’S CRADLE, which was published in 1962.

It was a mind-boggle, that book.  In its time it has been booed, banned, and vilified as well as lauded, praised, and “cultified” in varied and sundry ways.  (I’ll leave it to you to read the thing and find out why.)

So, anyway, there’s this story in that book that goes like this:

Here’s God at the very beginning of Time.  He’s just finished making the earth and, as Vonnegut writes, “…He looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness.”

And like every other Creator there ever was, the Dude decides to gather together an audience to share and check out what He has wrought.  Of all the critters God shapes out of mud and animates, the only one that can actually speak is Man.

Man blinks, looks around puzzled and politely asks, “What is the purpose of all this?”

God answers that question with another question, “Everything must have a purpose?”

Man replies, “Certainly.”

And God tells Man, “Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this.”

And then, Vonnegut writes, “And He went away.”

Oof!

That is probably the best meta-story I’ve encountered about the golden god-thread that runs through the whole tapestry of the history of humankind.

It’s the stuff from which legends get made and we humans are the ones who are supposed to weave it and incorporate it into Life-Its-Own-Self, it seems (at least according to Vonnegut).

weaver at a loom seen through the threads on the loom
“weaving hands” by Hans Splinter via Flickr [CC BY-ND 2.0]

COMES NOW ANOTHER BOOK FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT AUTO-DIDACTS….

In 2017, writer Emily Esfahani Smith put together a book, THE POWER OF MEANING: Crafting a Life That Matters, that presents a clear and clean overview of the human experience of wrestling with this most annoying question.

Tapping into “maybe-this-will-work” Smarty Pants and wise guy forays into assorted fields of human brain grinding (psychology, sociology, philosophy, metaphysics, biology, literature and just plain living), Smith makes a run at laying out how we humans have tried to figure out ways to find grace and meaning in the mystery and mind-boggle of Life-Its-Own-Self.

Using what she calls the “four pillars of meaning” – belonging, purpose, story-telling,  and transcendence – she makes an exceptionally fine stab at the problem.

The book does not present thoughts that are particularly “revolutionary.”  You’ll probably recognize all of the different stances and such she presents.

After all, we humans have been fooling around with and trying to suss out this quintessential puzzle for thousands of years now.

fearless girl statue challenges the Wall Street bull
“Fearless Girl Statue by Kristen Visbal New York City Wall Street” by Anthony Quintaro via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
By piling up and stacking together many of the varied ways that people in a wide array of human circumstances have worked out to find a life meaning for which they can gladly spend their lives living, Smith has put together a work that could help us regular sorts follow our own, individual god-thread.

You might want to check it out.

AND THEN THERE’S A VIDEO TOO….

I also stumbled across a 2013 YouTube video that was uploaded by INKtalks, a platform for creative idea-exchange in India that grew out of entrepreneur and founder Lakshmi Pratury’s penchant for using storytelling to foster community-building and her admiration for the TEDtalks format.

The rollicking exploration, “A crash course on the meaning of life,” features the amazing entrepreneur-turned-philosopher Derek Sivers.

In just under 12 minutes, Sivers lays out all kinds of possible answers to the burning life- and-its-meaning question and provides his own evocative commentary on the lot plus a bunch of bonus questions at the end.

It’s exhilarating.

ONE MORE THOUGHT AND ONE MORE QUESTION

The one thing that helped me dismount after my latest ride on the Chaos-Beast Express was this thought from the late deep-thinker Joseph Campbell:

“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.”

And that’s the thing, you know.  Each of us is an answer to the god-thread we are holding.

A follow-up question now is “Where are your answers to the god-thread question taking you?”  As a wanna-be shaper the answers to that follow-up question might make a crucial difference between living a life filled with meaning and mana and one that is not.

in a warehouse, there's an arching umbrella of sparks with someone under it
“Bong Fire” by darkday via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
Here’s a poem:


WRANGLING THE QUESTIONS

Here’s the thing about questions:
They tend to multiply.
They iterate and permutate
Into more and more.
A nest of questions await you,
All pertinent, all relevant,
All suitable for debate with self or other,
Back and forth and back.

Questions can get to be a puzzlement.
They keep on flitting, keep on morphing,
And they can just lead you down more
Alleyways and byways and definitive dead ends
And not to any hidey-places
Where some really special “meaning”
Can be found.

A labyrinth built of asking why and how and where
All the real and magic answers,
(The ones with all that good stuff) might abide
Just takes you ‘round and ‘round and
Leads you right on back to where you began.
(Because, after all, the thing’s a labyrinth
and the end is the beginning is the end.)

Questions can usher you into some
Monolithic ivory tower
Where you can sit and ponder
All day and all night,
Doing nothing more than warming
Some fluffed-up, comfy cushions
While your mind runs around in circles
And falls down all dizzy as you throw up
Watery conundrums all over the floor.

Questions can morph into branching paths
That keep you always wandering
Through a curious wilderness of strange,
Always finding more and more to inspect,
To analyze, to dissect until the world turns dark
And the stars all go away.

The wise guys say you can turn back the tide
Of this plague of trickster questions,
When you’ve had enough of the way
They trip you up and stick a ring through your nose
Then lead you roundabout and down
Yet another stupid byway that goes nowhere.

Here’s how:

Close your eyes,
Hold onto your heart,
Shake your fist and
Stick your chin out.
Mutter mantras,
Inhale deeply and keep breathing.
Be still.

Choose the gnarliest of those questions
And just sit with it.
Then, choose some half-baked,
Stupid answer.

That’s right.
Just do it.
Go on, go on, go on.
Just gulp it on down.
You did that?
Good.
Okay.
Now, live that answer ‘til it’s real.

Simple, right?
Those wise guys are amazing, right?

Hmmm.

[by Netta Kanoho]

Header Photo Credit: “Lantern Festival” by Wei, Shi-Hang via Flickr [CC BY-ND 2.0]
……

SOME OTHER POSTS TO EXPLORE
(Click on each of the post titles below and see where it takes you…)

……

Thanks for your visit.  I’d appreciate it if you would drop a note or comment below and tell me your thoughts.”

12 thoughts on “FOLLOW THE GOD-THREAD (Shaping Dilemma)

  1. Parameter says:

    I agree with you – life has no meaning. It takes the shape of the container we place it. On its own, it is shapeless, odourless and colourless.

    If you say life is good, someone else says life is full of agony. Our definition of life is a product of our experiences. It is one of the difficult yet simple concepts to explain

    1. Welcome back, Parameter.  I’m pleased that you see what I am trying to say with this thing…that even though life could be considered “meaningless,” it’s our job as humans to bring our own meanings and weave them into the glory that is Life-Its-Own-Self.

      I got hung up for a good long while trying to get a handle on how to explain this simple but gnarly concept without resorting to airball platitudes and to put it into some kind of a useful construct.  My brain is still cramping!  Sheesh!

      Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts.  Please do come again.

  2. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the ever-elusive question of life’s meaning. Indeed, this question has puzzled humanity for centuries, and it seems that there is no single “right” answer.

    It is fascinating to see how different people and cultures have approached this question, from philosophers to storytellers, and how they have tried to make sense of this profound mystery. I appreciate the way you weave together different ideas and sources, from Kurt Vonnegut’s CAT’S CRADLE to Emily Esfahani Smith’s THE POWER OF MEANING, to offer insights and perspectives on the topic.

    Ultimately, the question of life’s meaning is a deeply personal and subjective one, and each of us must find our own way of grappling with it.

    Joseph Campbell’s insight that “life has no meaning” but that “each of us has meaning and we bring it to life” is a powerful reminder that we are the authors of our own stories and that we have the power to shape our own lives and find meaning in the journey. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful and thought-provoking piece. 

    1. Anoth, thanks for stopping by.  I am stoked that the post resonates with you. 

      Please do come again.

  3. Hey Netta!
    I just checked out your “Life-Built Poems” page, and I have to say, I’m impressed!

    The design is so visually appealing, and I love how you’ve used real, high-quality artistic photos to complement the content. It adds so much depth to the topics you discuss.

    The way you’ve organized the website makes navigating and finding different sections easy, which is fantastic.

    Moreover, the way you explore themes like inner peace, finding meaning in life, and personal growth is truly captivating.

    It’s evident that you deeply understand these subjects, and I appreciate how you share your knowledge in a way that encourages reflection and self-discovery. Your thought-provoking questions and the inclusion of various exercises make the content even more interactive and engaging.

    Keep creating and sharing such inspiring content!

    Amyas

    1. Amyas, thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts on the page itself.  [Whoo-hoo!  It’s working!  Yay!]

      Please do come again.

  4. Blazej777 says:

    Many are asking the question: “what is the life?” Or “why we are existing?” Etc.

    I’m a Hebrew Bible believer and I know that the Bible answers any questions. This is what I’m based on. G-d created the world for us to have the community with us. But He also created the LAW and unfortunately people broke that Law and gave the world to the opponent.

    Our life now is a test. If you’ll follow the G-Ds law and believe Him and His Son YESHUA then you’ll receive the eternal life in His kingdom, new earth, rebuilt earth with no pain and death.

    I realise that you may not agree with me, but this is what I believe and I know that it’s true. 
    All the best for you!

    1. Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts, Blazej777.  I do appreciate it.

      You’ve found your own answer and that is the basis of your life and your shaping.  I applaud you!  It truly is a strong foundation and one that many people have used to build very good lives.  Much success on your journey.

      Please do come again.

  5. fityourselfbarre says:

    Hello!

    I try not to reflect too much on the meaning of life because I end up having mixed bittersweet feelings and no answer. It is such a mystery! It is fascinating, though!

    I have just watched a documentary about how our stomach is our second brain. It explained how we are made of more bacteria DNA (100 000 billion) than human DNA. Is life just a bunch of bacteria? It is so intricate… each of us is a unique and complex ecosystem in survival mode.

    I hope life isn’t meaningless…

    1. I do hear you, fityourselfbarre.  Perhaps you might like to consider Joseph Campbell’s stance on the whole thing. My understanding of Campbell’s stance is that since each of us brings our own meaning to Life-Its-Own-Self, then the life we have built so far IS our answer to the great Mystery.

      What the Campbell stance does is it brings the big nebulous DUH-ness of the life-meaning question back down to earth and down to you.  It lets you think about how you can make a better answer (as well as a way of living that suits you well) while you continue dancing in the mystery, I think.

      Myself, I feel humans can contain and embrace many universes…and that includes all those bacteria and other invisible-to-my-eye stuff floating in us and around us.  I don’t know a heck of a lot about them all.  I know I’m not big enough to embrace and encompass the whole thing. 

      (Being just tiny doesn’t make me feel bad.  I can still play anyway.)

      Frankly, unless those guys start messing with me, I figure I’ll just keep doing mine and they can do theirs.  

      Thanks for helping me explore more.  Please do come again.

  6. Demi Foster says:

    I thoroughly enjoyed your contemplative and thought-provoking post on the age-old question of life’s meaning. It’s a topic that has perplexed humanity for centuries, and you’ve presented it in a way that’s both engaging and insightful.

    In your personal journey of grappling with the question of life’s meaning, have you found any particular answer or philosophy that resonates with you? Or do you embrace the idea that each individual must create their own meaning in life?

    1. Thanks for the visit, Demi.  I’m glad you enjoyed the ride, and I do like your questions. 

      Through all the assorted attempts and iterations of stabs at God-thread explorations and such, I feel like I’ve come ’round to Joseph’s Campbell thought that I (whatever that is) am my own answer to Life-Its-Own-Self (just as you are your own answer and everybody else is their own answer.)

      It seems like my thing is a lot about call-and-response, about story-making and about prayer and connection and taking oneself lightly.  I’m not sure how “practical” or productive or useful any of that is, but, hey, I’m a poet.  We tend to bend funny.  Hee!

      Please do come again.

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