Most of the book is devoted to Pink describing his vision of "The Six Senses", Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. All of these impact me in more ways than I realize, however, the Meaning section really got me thinking. I was raised as a Methodist and have since then realized that I am an atheist. So when I came across this chapter, I was skeptical. Pink states that:
Across many different realms, there's a growing recognition that spirituality--not religion necessarily, but the more broadly defined concern for the purpose and meaning of life--is a fundamental part of the human condition. Indeed, our capacity for faith--again, not religion per se, but the belief in something larger than ourselves--may be wired into our brains. (221)
Here I will disagree with Pink. At first, I felt that regular sense of shame I often feel when people are talking about religion, or in Pink's case, "spirituality". I do not believe in God, I do not believe in Heaven, and I do not believe in good or evil. Those thoughts nearly made me dismiss this final chapter, however, all of this reading about people trying to find meaning in their lives inevitably brought me to ask myself the same question. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I put everything into the hands of humanity. I realize that there is "good" and "bad" in everyone, however, I attribute those factors to the actual people and their circumstances rather than outer supernatural beings competing over the mystical soul. Basically, I came to the conclusion that the "meaning of life" is, in rude terms, to propogate the human race. In more pleasant terms, it is to leave a "better world" for our posterity. I think Empathy and Symphony play more into Meaning than Pink realized. I am kind to people because I know what it is like to have someone be kind to me, and also, have someone be mean to me. I do my duties because other people are dependent on my completing a task. Inescapably, as I have found, it always comes back to people. Believe what you will about the "after-life", but don't forget about this world.
So, basically, I disagree with Pink that we are inherently spiritual, as I am not; however, I do feel that we have a desire to do something large and important, rather just for ourselves or for the world in general.
1 comment:
An interesting comment Rachel. In my reading, the meaning of life should not require us to choose between a divine pronouncement or a biological imperative. The existential quest for meaning in life (in the absence of an absolute meaning of life) requires the construction of meaning. The desire to construct such meaning is what I believe Pink is refering to.
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