Thorough the history of humankind, we as creatures have sought to find a way to live out this incredibly short existence all of us experience as “our lives” in a peaceful and tranquil manner. Yet for some reason the process seems to work backwards. Peace and tranquility seem to be present only in the first few years of our lives, followed by a long string of increasingly intense situations that lead us through a maze of chaos we call “adulthood.”
We live as children, young adults, middle aged people then as elderly, living through the usual life experiences.
But this incredible process called “life as we know it” can sometimes include an additional irritation. This particular annoyance can arise at any time in our lives, and with no apparent solution to its yearning. It is usually so subtle that at first we do not even recognize what the problem is. What is this troubling question with no apparent answer? It is a singular question, a wonderment that is both cruel, yet fair at the same time. That question is, “What is the meaning of life?”
What Is the Meaning of Life?
Usually, we find this question intervening into our thoughts whenever we are going through a particularly demanding crisis. The intensity of this question is almost always directly related to the suffering we are experiencing at any given moment. The more we suffer, the louder it screams. For some of us on the planet, the question becomes so distinct and demanding that we begin to seek an answer.
Our search leads us through myriad avenues, a multitude of solutions ranging from different physical exercises to strange cults, all promising in one way or another to satisfy our growing desire for what is usually deemed “the truth.”
Those of us who suffer from this insatiable quest find ourselves attending this meeting or that lecture, reading a book or watching some video, always seeking a certain something we simply cannot put our finger on. We know we want, we just do not know exactly what it is that we want. There is a lack, an unfulfilled……something. The more we search, the more we attempt promised solutions for nullifying this “lack,” the more frustrated we become when the promised solution turns out to steal our time or—worse—lighten our wallets.
This article was written for all of you who know exactly what I am talking about, for those who have experienced this “lack.” If you should find yourself in the above description commonly referred to as “seekers,” then most assuredly that is the reason you have found this article.
Who Is a Seeker?
Seekers can be found in every social stratum. You may find them in the most horrendous of circumstances, poverty stricken, having suffered from calamities too numerous to count, or you may find them at the other end of the spectrum.
Often those who literally “have it all” find that in the end, they do not. In fact, they would trade all they have for something they simply cannot put their finger on. They know something is missing, but literally have no clue as to what it is. Therefore, they turn to drugs, relationships, and an array of superficial pleasures to satiate this constantly growing “lack.”
Finally, there are many of us who have not suffered a great tragedy. Certainly, most of us have had our share of suffering, but as a rule we are reasonably comfortable. We work at our daily jobs, feed and support our families, and lead “normal” lives. Yet that lack seems to tingle within, teasing and taunting us. It drives us to search, and search we do.
No matter what your situation, this world offers no fulfillment or solution to your question, and no answer to satiate your thirst, as what you lack is not available here. By “here” I am referring to the world in which you live. Your sense of lack reveals not only a lack, but a need for discovery.
The Chance to Discover a New Reality
This brings about the question, “What in the world needs to be discovered?” Have we not discovered just about everything there is to discover on this planet? Have we not begun to explore the heavens? Are medical miracles not being found to a huge variety of ailments every single day? Are our computers not so lightening fast already that we can communicate instantly around the world, thanks to this incredible toy called “the Internet?”
What is left to discover?
The object of discovery is a realm we do not yet occupy. It is the realm of sources, desires, feelings and thoughts. It is the realm of the Creator, and it is simply called “spirituality.”
“What Is the Meaning of Life?” is based on the book, Wondrous Wisdom: Everyone’s Guide to the Study of Authentic Kabbalah by Michael R. Kellogg.
