Koran burning has *perhaps* reconsidered. The amount
of flurry around this story has been amazing.
Many have been aghast about the burning of a
religious book. When I consider what a religious
book is in its most basic sense, it occurs to me
that it is bound paper with words.
I know for some it is more than that. For those
people, life is pumped into an object by the meaning
they place on it. Is it a good thing? a bad thing?
It would, I suppose, depend on who you talk to.
If life has no meaning, then what the heck are we
doing here? If life has meaning, whose meaning
do we subscribe to and what does that meaning
look like? sound like? taste like? feel like? smell like?
Many religious books (words on paper) will likely
give a different answer to these questions by the
practices and beliefs they subscribe to. Wars will
be fought and arguments had over which one(s)
are the best or "right" ones.
Some may think that I am not giving religion the
respect it is due, however I do respect an individual's
ability to choose what beliefs are best for him or
herself.
Is there a grand meaning to life? With so much
diversity it would seem hard to determine that
there is ONE answer, or even if there seems to
be one answer, an answer that is acceptable to
one and all.
Curious about the idea of "Meaning of Life," I
Googled the term, and then I Googled "Sex."
I am sure there is a diversity of pages that encompass
many pieces of both topics, however I found it
interesting to note that Sex had approximately
8Xs more results than "Meaning of Life."
A few thoughts occur to me around this:
1. The meaning that we put into things is
often so inherently a part of who we are,
we are unable to separate meaning from
self. Therefore for some, the quest for
meaning would be meaningless, because
one wonders what he'd be searching for.
2. Anyone who might be able to separate
things out, and be on a search for meaning,
might not want to, as it might seem to
"heavy" or "obscure," which leads me to...
3. It is easy to avoid a heavy topic - one
that seems intangible (and perhaps unable
to be resolved) - with one that isn't so heavy,
and one that is not only quite tangible, but
also pleasurable and may even appear more
accessible - like - SEX.
4. Is it possible that SEX is such a big topic
because it is an escape? Is it possible that
it is a way to avoid the things that really
matter?
I realize that as with any points, these points
have counterpoints, and that nothing is
absolute. I would say that the act of sex
can be many things, including the act of
making love which can be one of those
things that some might say add to the
meaning of life.
In the end, it is the meaning that makes the
difference, and makes or breaks the different
types of relating we do. It is the meaning
that can bring us together, or can tear us
apart.
It makes me wonder how the world would
be if we could see the pages of a book for
what they are - white pages with black
specks...If we could see people for who
they are - a combination of body parts,
organs, and systems whose hearts' beat,
and lungs breathe...If we could see things
for what they are - instead of resources
to be violated and plundered...If we could
hear words for what they are - letters
aligned a certain way that when expressed
through the mouth make a certain sound.
Meaning is important, there is no question
about that, and it is often unconsciously
attached to many pieces of the human
experience. The thing is, it is so important
that it is the very thing that our survival
depends upon, and it is one of the things
we are the least aware of in a productive
and helpful and conscious way.
As often happens...I have more questions
and observations than answers, but for me
the meaning conversation, like many
conversations, is best entertained in an
environment of respect.
For me that logically leads to the question:
If you are respecting another, are you
defacing or destroying the things that hold
meaning for them?
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