Meaning can be viewed as the emotional significance of what we do. It is connected to the importance that we ascribe to what we do and why we do it. Throughout human history, many philosophers and thinkers have tried to make sense of human existence. Their conclusions on the meaning and purpose of life range from the totally nihilistic to the virtuous. The former is the rejection of all religious and moral principles because life is meaningless and that nothing in the world has a real existence or purpose. The virtuous concept is to live life according to the highest moral principles, which accounts for both meaning and purpose. But this often leads to a rigid moralistic outlook and intolerance of those that do not share their values.
Ikigai– The Japanese Approach
Ikigai is a Japanese term which roughly translates as “reason for being”. The concept has been globalised by the popularity of a self-help book that attributes Ikigai to a long and happy life. There has been a tendency in the West to seek inspiration in the Eastern approach to helping people find meaning in their lives and workplace. It has spawned an army of consultants and gurus all over the world preaching their own versions. Ikigai lends itself to the formulaic recipes that are easy to understand and follow. In its essence Ikigai focuses on four tenets, which are usually represented as circles in a Venn diagram. To find meaning and purpose in life you have to answer four questions for yourself:
- What you love.
- What you are good at.
- What the world needs.
- What you can get paid for.
As applied to a career path, the greatest level of meaning and purpose is reached when you can combine all four to as large degree as possible. Of course, our lives are not solely defined by our careers. Ikigai does not provide answers on how to find purpose and meaning in our social, economic and political interactions outside work. Actually, the majority of Japanese see Ikigai more in the context of attaining small joys with family and friends and in practicing enjoyable hobbies. Those that believe in a higher purpose and meaning of life have to dive deeper into the realm of spirituality and transcendence.
Love-Driven Morality Offers the Key
The Eternal Light concept of purpose and meaning focuses on love as the principle driving force of life. Combined with Results Based Intelligence (RBI), it offers a more positive and plausible reason for our existence and those of similar intelligent beings populating other parts of the universe. We arrive to this planet with one overriding purpose: to express EL’s essence, which is love for the infinite variety of life that has been brought into existence through the RBI process. Yet when we look about us, it is difficult to recognize love-driven morality in action. What we see in too many cases is a world that has been exploited by greed and avarice. It has served the self-interests of the elite who ruthlessly gain the requisite power and control to install their agendas through repression and brainwashing propaganda.
Those that are born in such societies have a more difficult time of finding a moral path. Yet history bears witness to the fact that these regimes falter and give their citizens the opportunity to reset their values. In the case of the Soviet Union, it appears that one repressive regime was replaced by another. It is, however, important to remember that the Soviet Union lasted only 70 years and the current kleptocracy has endured for just three decades. We are programmed through our spiritual energy cells to reconnect to EL and to seek a love-driven path. This starts on the individual level and leads to positive upheavals in societies. Ultimately, love-driven morality tends toward true justice and equality.
The purpose of the multiple life terms that we experience on this planet is to progressively reach a higher level of spiritual wisdom. This means recognizing the pathway that connects us to Eternal Light, which communicates with us through our Inner Brain (IB) or spiritual energy cell. This process is easy enough to understand but is counterbalanced by free will which dominates our thoughts and actions. We are required to make choices in life that can lead either towards spiritual wisdom or ignorance. The good news is that we are equipped with the means to connect to EL’s love through the inner brain channel.
The other big positive in the process of gaining more wisdom is that it is cumulative. Spiritual wisdom means acquiring a higher level of love capacity on every opportunity to do so during our multiple reincarnations. The gains that are made in one life span are transferred to the next. Thus, it systematically reinforces our connection to Eternal Light. Ultimately, when enough people reach a higher level of wisdom it leads to a critical mass of evolved individuals. At this inflection point it will be possible to achieve exponential gains. We are seeing many examples of higher degrees of love at all levels of human societies. There are many people who work selflessly, tirelessly and passionately towards a more just and equal future for all. We have only to look at the progress that has been made on female rights, gender, racial and ethnic equality in more advanced parts of the world. Overall. there have been many important gains in human rights in the 20th and the 21st century.
Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement. Past gains in justice and equality are measurable and tangible. Unfortunately, in the case of the current Russo-Ukrainian war there is an obvious relapse in morality on a national scale. However, the Ukrainian cause is a just one because they are defending their basic human rights. On the other hand, the Russian people suffer a moral regression at the hands of their corrupt elite. This Is where a critical mass of people with a higher degree of love can influence lapsed societies by setting positive examples, models and active resistance. As the war in the Ukraine rages on it is opposed by thousands of Russians who recognize its moral vacuity. Unable to express their opposition openly they nevertheless carry within them the seeds for a societal transformation.
