According to a USA Today survey, the number one question people wanted to ask God was, "What is the meaning of life?" Let's break this question down into chewable chunks. One thing is obvious right away: When our lives lose meaning, we become depressed (or visa versa). Conversely, to quote the Tao Te Ching, "He who perseveres is a man of purpose." With an abiding sense of purpose we feel vibrant and alive - life feels meaningful, whether or not we know its 'meaning'. Indeed, just satisfying an urgent need or resolving a gnawing fear gives us a strong sense of purpose - life feels meaningful, at least for the moment!

Nevertheless, we are curious about life even though our needs and fears make it feel meaningful. These emotions go by various names: want, necessity, desire, hunger, lust, and insecurity, apprehension, loss, failure, respectively. These push and pull sensations motivate us to do what we do. Of course, these motivating forces are common to all animals. If a cow in the hot sun feels the need to cool off, it will seek a shady tree, just as we will. If it sees a lion and feels fear, it will run away, just as we will.

For us however, need and fear also influence our thoughts; the basic notions of free will, ethics, and belief (overall) work in concert with these core emotions. All in all, these core emotions and notions are linked to questions about the meaning of life, which make them promising areas to poke into for insight.

Core Issues of Human Behavior:  Free Will  ·  Ethics  ·  Belief

Do you feel a bit bewildered... a little more hesitant and tentative perhaps? The more deeply you weigh these core issues, the more such feelings surface. As your thought patterns soften, you are able to feel "mysterious sameness" more deeply. Relax though... while unsettling at first, this is a healthy effect! You can not help but be a wiser and gentler human being.

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