The search for meaning and purpose

I came across a famous quote from Henry David Thoreau as he said, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” While in my car and caught up in traffic, I see people walking like lifeless souls with wires plugged into their ears and eyes glued to their screen. It’s like a scene from The Walking Dead. Rarely today would you see people in friendship holding hands and conversing animatedly. I wondered if this is a picture of quiet desperation that Thoreau is talking about?  Living from paycheck to paycheck, slugging through the week, only to feel the exhilaration of “Thank God it’s Friday,” go to happy hour, binge on TV series, play some video games, then repeat the same process year in and year out.

I go to church. Sunday is always church day for me and family. Now that my kids are all grown up and fairly successful in their chosen fields of business and profession, we still go to church together, and then have lunch after. These are precious moments for me as there are times when my daughter Hannah has to be at weddings assisting the brides with the gowns she created, and would mean that she won’t be able to join us for our weekly lunches. In church, I would oftentimes come across this biblical teaching that quotes Jesus Christ: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). How would we reconcile these two? That of Thoreau’s “Quiet Desperation” and Jesus’ promise of “Life to the full?”

A businessman said that what he would like to be seen in his tombstone with the words: “He made a difference.” engraved on it.  Maybe this is a person’s greatest need. Whether we speak of achieving our full potential, or only of surviving until the next paycheck, a person’s most innate need is his or her need to be significant—to find purpose and meaning. This is why we often hear people say:

“I want to make a difference.”

“I want my life to count.”

“I want my life to have meaning.”

“I want to have an impact.”

“I want to make a contribution.”

“I want to do something important with my life.”

“I want to conquer, achieve, excel, and prove myself.”

“I want to be somebody.”

“I want my life to be significant.”

Meanwhile, others talk about “leaving a legacy”.  Would this not be the reason why people donate funds for buildings and leave their name there? The difference in men is in how we go about satisfying our need to be significant.

I have been existing in this planet for so long that I have seen men, eager for the spoils of this life, pursue significance by gratifying only their own ambitions. Others, trained by the Scriptures, find it by obeying God and blessing others. One sobering thought is that no matter what we have accomplished, you and I will be forgotten. At the very best, if you were a giant in your time, the most you could expect would be a couple of paragraphs in Wikipedia and I doubt if the page would get people excited many years from now.

One of my favorite books in the Bible happens to be the Book of Ecclesiastes. Penned and authored by the “wisest man” who ever lived, the books said that a man’s ultimate desire is for immortality. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). That’s part of what we mean when we say we want to be significant. We want something to survive us. The thing we need to consider is the quality and durability of that significance. Man’s memories are too short. Whenever we ask ourselves, “Who am I?”, in terms of fame and worldly accomplishments, we may have selected an identity that will quickly fade into oblivion.

When we build our identity based on worldly possessions, the novelty wears off quickly. That expensive Swiss watch that you are supposed to keep for the next generation, that high-priced ostrich skin bag with the alligator handle inside the orange brown bag in the closet no longer make you happy. The new-car smell dissipates and suddenly other possessions that are not yet ours begin to catch our attention and makes us wish to have them too. When possessions and money become a surrogate for our real identity, who we are is tied to things that rust and rot away.

The promise of a “life of fullness” as promised by Jesus is that in Him, we experience significance. In obeying Him, we fulfill our purpose and achieve meaning in life. As the infomercial says, “and there’s more...” Meaning, more to the life beyond this planet as The One who rose back from the grave promises that in Him, by faith through grace, the serious follower will also have the same life in eternity.

During this long weekend, there is a timely reminder for all of us is from someone who says: “A sure cure for arrogance is a visit to the cemetery where eggheads and boneheads get equal billing.” This is why I look forward to the life beyond the grave as I trust He who rose from it certainly has the right to claim it.

(Francis Kong presents  a whole-day learning event this Nov. 10, 2018 titled: “Culture of Personal Excellence and you can join him from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the beautiful Santolan Town Plaza, Little Baguio, San Juan. Limited seats available. For further inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.successoptionsinc.com/cpe)