A person rarely manages to find an eternal meaning that lasts for an entire lifetime. Much more often, we go through cycles, experiencing a moral uplift when we discover an interest, a reason to exist, and to develop.
When we reach a dead end and lose interest in something that once seemed exciting, we experience an emotional decline. At a specific moment in time, when you are genuinely passionate, it seems unbelievable that what matters most could one day become meaningless. Yet this happens quite easily, almost imperceptibly. Having lost a former meaning, we soon engage in the search for the next one. If time allows, we can choose carefully or search for quite a while. When a new meaning is needed as quickly as possible, preferably right now, we settle for something readily available. Why does this happen, what is the value of meaning, and is it possible to live without it? These questions will be examined below.
The Natural Reason for Searching for Meaning
We tend to search for meaning in everything because we want to understand cause-and-effect relationships. This is how the brain is wired. Simple explanations are not enough, and their complete absence causes discomfort. Everything around us must happen according to some algorithm, plan, or reason, not simply by chance. The inclination to seek answers and explanations contributed to the development of human civilization. At first, shamans were believed to cause rain, and angry gods were thought to send droughts. Later, people learned to predict natural phenomena through indirect signs. Today, we follow global events and regional news online to have more information on which decisions can be based. Usually, this information is not particularly important for everyday life, but it is critically important for an anxious mind. Something unexplained or unclear happened somewhere? It must be urgently investigated and understood. Some people search for information online, using various sources, while others prefer conversations with coworkers, classmates, or friends. The methods may differ, but the goal is always the same, to find reassurance in answers, even if those answers are frightening. The main thing is to discover meaning, whatever it may be.
The Cultural Factor
Cultural norms offer various meanings, but they condemn their complete absence. You will not be understood or accepted by society if you openly declare that your life has no meaning and, more importantly, that you have no desire to look for one. This is a red line. For most people, such an admission sounds like a challenge and a threat. Different from everyone else, incomprehensible, meaningless? There is a proven solution. For those who are completely lost, a simple yet elegant way out is offered. You are advised to live like everyone else, to have what everyone else has, instead of wandering through life like a lost soul. At first, this advice is delivered gently, then jokingly, and eventually mockingly, with undisguised condemnation. Meanwhile, some truly unique and potentially great meanings may be ridiculed. If, in the whole world, there are at least a few people who fully support you, consider yourself lucky. Most often, these are family members and close friends. They will try to find meaning in your views, judgments, and actions as well.
Personal Reasons for Searching for Meaning
Some people feel quite comfortable without any meanings at all. For some, there is simply no time left for such reflections. You work from morning till night, come home, sit down at the computer or in front of the TV. You distract yourself a bit, get some simple entertainment, and go to sleep. For others, it is easy to accept and realize the absence of meaning. It does not seem like a great loss, at least not a material one. However, in most cases, personal reasons become the main factor for starting or continuing the search. Meaning fills an inner void, which is especially important for a person who has no personal interests, passions, or hobbies. Meaning provides energy and helps create a plan of action. It brings closer, or at least makes visible, the main victory in life. You are not just drifting with the current, but trying to control the movement, making decisions, and therefore you have the right to expect a desired result that you will later enjoy.
RELATED STORY — What to Do When You Receive Unpleasant Comments from Your Girlfriend
What Happens When Meaning Is Found
This is similar to a eureka effect. An insight occurs, and life seems to change in an instant. Of course, the first and most important changes do not happen around a person, but within them. Simply put, it is not life itself that changes, but the attitude toward the world, people, work, and all other familiar things. A found meaning is a powerful motivator that requires almost nothing except focused attention on the chosen goal. However, the moral uplift can quickly roll back. This happens if practical actions are postponed for too long. One way or another, the main function of meaning is to divide all aspects of life into primary and secondary. This distinction allows daily life to be structured more effectively and helps in planning medium-term and long-term goals. There is less room for doubt, contradictions cease to exist, because a clear hierarchy of desires appears.
What Happens When Meaning Is Lost
It feels like an incredible exhaustion, not physical and not even intellectual. It seems as if you are tired of life itself, which has deceived you once again. It handed you a beautiful box with a greeting card that said, in elegant handwriting, “Your great meaning.” It turned out that the courier mixed up the address, and the gift was not meant for you. You feel drained, almost destroyed. You begin to calculate the damage. Time, effort, perhaps money and other resources were wasted. All for a meaning that no longer matters. When faced with this reality, take a pause. The best option is to go on vacation, if possible. Remember that you have not lost and that you are not a failure. You simply tried something that was incompatible with you. Spend the newly freed time on simple pleasures. On things that truly appeal to you, even if they bring no benefit, do not advance your career, and do not make you more successful or wealthier. The emptiness left by a lost meaning can be filled with living in the moment. Have fun, enjoy yourself, work, exercise. In short, distract yourself. Do this until the negative experience of pursuing meaning fades away. Do not doubt it, sooner or later you will discover a new meaning, one that is even more important.
