The Search for Meaning

A Question

Throughout man’s long history there have been countless events or perspectives of thought which have sought out the answer to an ultimate question: What is the meaning of life? Such a pursuit of meaning is prolific among men of various cultures and languages because it is a unifying condition of man’s existence.

The Search

The Tower of Babel

This search for meaning can be seen in Biblical history as well as secular history. For instance, the story of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11) provides a curious insight into man’s desire to make a place for himself within the annals of existence. There are two major schools of thought concerning the objective of the tower. The first view explains that these people were seeking to make a “tower to heaven”, so as to be with God and to (in some fashion) have the same power as God. The second view explains that these people were creating a great tower to be seen from any great distance and to unify man together as a singular force.

Polytheism

Many years later various cultures created gods and goddesses, worshipping them in idols made of hands. These profane objects were created for the purpose of appeasing some greater outside force so as to control the uncontrollable (for instance, appeasing a “god” to have good weather). This practice was a perverted search for meaning and power outside of the natural world, but directed at the wrong source.

Sophistry

History continues with the advent of Greek philosophers who tried to place meaning into the realm of wisdom and knowledge. Such an attitude was prevalent in intervening history with recurrences in the age of the scholastics and beyond. Once reaching the Enlightenment, man believed he had an answer to the meaning of life. All meaning could be explained through reason. This pursuit of reason led to a pursuit of modern convenience and technology. The empirical, natural, and mechanical were to be the saviors of man’s every ilk. Man’s wisdom would cure disease, end poverty and hardship, and create a utopia on earth.

Post-Modernism

This mission, however, failed and has bred today a Post-Modern culture which understands meaning in the eye of the beholder. Man once again believes in doing what is right in one’s own eyes (cf. Deu. 12:8; Judges 17:6). The sad reality is this pursuit of meaning which transcends thousands of years is easily explained. Man has not been running toward meaning, but rather away from it – as our choices to sin caused us to run away from God.

God’s wisdom

The wise man Solomon summed up this pursuit in the close of his sermon in Ecclesiastes. After pursuing meaning for his own life in every other possible place on earth, he reached the truth. This same truth has not changed from the beginning of time, and will never change: “[F]ear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Eccl. 12:13, NASU).