by Jerry Curtis

Created on: January 25, 2009

There is a meaning to my life, and, to me, it derives from the overall scheme of the natural world. That scheme is both breathtakingly simple as it is complex to the point of spirituality. The simplicity is that in all nature, life begets life. All things begin, mature, decline, die and are recycled to the same or different constituents. As a father and a grandfather, what gives meaning to my life is my position in the chain of humanity, whose individual members exist for a finite period, but as a whole continues onward. My grandchildren are my legacy to life, and their remembrance of me after I die is what makes my life meaningful.

The complexity is what I like to call "the stream." This "stream" is the connection between all things and the stuff of life. To some that "stream" is God and His creation. To me, it is simply that if there is a God, that God is in us and everything around us. The spiritual meaning of my life has nothing to do with religion. Religion is more of a "lock-step" approach on man's quest to give meaning to existence beyond finite mortality. My spiritual meaning derives from the notion that it simply feels better to do good and be kind to others. Conversely, it arises from the knowledge that evil and suffering in life exist only because I permit it. I cannot combat universal evil, of course, but I can recognize that universal evil exists because we humans universally permit it. The permission or prevention of evil is nothing more or less than free will.

There is another meaning to my life, and it has much to do with the loneliness of our existence as individuals. We are socialized, learn acceptable behavior and how to verbally communicate with one another through language, but we are still locked inside our heads with our private thoughts and feelings. The richest lives are lived through empathy and deeper communication with others. Empathy is knowing how others think and feel and the true understanding that everyone behaves in a manner that makes absolute sense to them. As we get closer to that understanding, our lives are more meaningful, because we get closer to each other.

Having progressed to the later stages of my life, I have also found meaning in the natural progression of maturity and age. Life is a series of lessons learned, second chances and continual opportunities to be of service to others. Now retired, I also found meaning in my work, its satisfaction and material benefits that I accrued simply by being dedicated to excellence. There is a lot to be said about having a comfortable old age and having lived a useful life.

So the meaning to my life is the ultimate recognition that I am a cog in the chain of human existence. The spiritual meaning of my life derives from an ethos of empathy with those who share my humanity and the true recognition that we are all both the same and different. We can draw deeper meaning through the discovery of why what we do makes so much sense to us individually. The rest is just compromise.

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