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<\/a><\/p>\nWe Christians often speak of non-believers as \u201clost.\u201d\u00a0 That is no metaphor today.\u00a0 For all of the technology that makes our lives easier and more pleasant, many of us\u2013non-believers but probably some believers as well\u2013feel that their lives and existence itself are meaningless.<\/p>\n
I came across a fascinating description and analysis of today\u2019s angst-ridden mindset.\u00a0 It\u2019s at what seems to be a self-help site, with its authors going just by their first names.\u00a0 (I know, I know.)\u00a0 But it\u2019s worth reading in its entirety.\u00a0 People who feel this way are exactly the ones Christians can reach out to with the Gospel and the rest of Christian doctrine.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give you an excerpt and then say some more about what the article says.<\/p>\n
From Kevin, Grace, & Thomas, The Origin of Modern Meaninglessness:\u00a0\u00a0An existential archaeology dig: where our angst comes from these days, why it\u2019s here and what we can do about it:<\/a><\/p>\n Some say we\u2019re living in the best society that\u2019s ever existed.<\/p>\n We point to smart phones, air-conditioning, hands-free paper-towel dispensers and other conveniences to confirm that we have it really,\u00a0really\u00a0<\/em>good now \u2013 or at least better we used to. The presumption is that these kinds of things, in the final analysis, really matter.<\/p>\n Yet different measures speak otherwise. Addictions are up.1<\/sup>\u00a0Suicides are up.2<\/sup>\u00a0Anxiety is up.3<\/sup>\u00a0Depression is up.4<\/sup>\u00a0Rates of happiness are down.5<\/sup>Antianxiety and antidepressant medications are up.6<\/sup>\u00a0Pills that claim to help you do things like sleep7<\/sup>\u00a0and have sex8<\/sup>\u00a0and pay attention9<\/sup>\u00a0are up. Deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide are now at highest level since record-keeping began.10<\/sup>\u00a0There appears to be an epidemic of loneliness,11<\/sup>\u00a0a sexual recession,12<\/sup>\u00a0a breakdown of trust.13<\/sup>\u00a0We could go on.<\/p>\n Call it \u201cangst.\u201d Or \u201calienation.\u201d A view of life as a hard road that leads nowhere. A view of life as a relentless struggle that ends up as a dirt nap in your best suit or dress. Birth, then blaring hype surrounding a hollow pocket of nothing, then death. A struggle for status-symbols and the appearance of success while knowing it\u2019s phony to the bone and all the way through. A pointless parade of poses engineered to convince others and ourselves that we\u00a0really do matter, really we do<\/em>, resulting in a glorification of superficiality. An underlying confusion about what the heck is really going on that metastasizes into hopelessness. A frenzy of activity surrounding a hysterical obsession with inconsequential nonsense. Sleepwalking through life, going through the motions, pretending it\u2019s leading somewhere, hoping maybe there\u2019s some point to it all. And what\u00a0is<\/em>the point? \u201cThere isn\u2019t one\u201d is often the answer we hear. There is no point, we don\u2019t know anything, and nothing matters. Now, go enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n Or, in a word:\u00a0meaninglessness<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ernest Becker said that the primary job of a society to its members is to convey a sense of meaning. He described the functioning society as a vehicle for heroism that affirms that our lives\u00a0matter<\/em>, which helps us persevere through the brutal realities of life and death. And \u201cmatter,\u201d not in a \u201cGreat job holding that pencil! You\u2019re awesome! Here\u2019s a trophy!\u201d kind of way, but in a \u201cthis genuinely makes the painful struggles of life truly\u00a0worth it<\/em>\u201d kind of way.<\/p>\n If Becker is right, or anywhere close, then modern society might be failing in its primary responsibility, even while excelling at everything else.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t show its face openly and announce itself: \u201cHello! I\u2019m\u00a0nihilism<\/a>!\u201d Rather, it\u2019s an\u00a0absence<\/em>\u00a0of something \u2013 or, a presence of nothing. Meaninglessness rarely takes the form of folks describing themselves as nihilists. It looks more like pleasant distractions that soon transform into bigger diversions which eventually morph into consuming obsessions. These obsessions are momentary, disconnected, unanchored, and unimportant. What is important is their job, which is to keep us distracted. They congeal into a steady, unceasing undercurrent, ferrying our attention from one immediate pleasure to the next, one distraction to another, with no larger direction or end in sight. All the while, there\u2019s a sense that somewhere, something vital has gone wrong or missing.<\/p>\n [Keep reading. . .]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The authors go on to account for this pervasive meaninglessness with the fading of religion, which gives life meaning.\u00a0 It also shows why science cannot give this meaning.\u00a0 It includes a discussion of existentialism, the philosophy that first raised many of these questions.\u00a0 The article, to its credit, says that the existentialist answer\u2013there is no meaning in the universe, so you must make meaning for yourself\u2013doesn\u2019t really solve anything.\u00a0 It also warns against \u201creductionism,\u201d reducing the complexities of existence to some simplistic formula.\u00a0 (It\u2019s all about power relationships!\u00a0 It\u2019s all about sexual frustration!\u00a0 It\u2019s all about oppression!)<\/p>\n It concludes without giving a definitive answer, recommending what seem to me to be self-help bromides, which the authors themselves seem to recognize as inadequate.<\/p>\n This is because without an awareness of God, life and existence really ARE meaningless.\u00a0 As the Book of Ecclesiastes says,<\/p>\n \u201cMeaningless! Meaningless!\u201d<\/span> \u201cUnder the sun\u201d\u2013that is, in the earthly realm\u2013wisdom, wealth, pleasure, work, family, power, fame, are just \u201ca chasing after the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;<\/span> This word of Law from Israel\u2019s wisest and most accomplished king leaves nothing standing.\u00a0 This is a book for today\u2019s lost generations, which should find themselves resonating profoundly with this book of the Bible.\u00a0 Only above the sun is there hope and meaning, as God makes meaningful things that otherwise would be empty.\u00a0 Such as our vocations (a powerful concept that can provide God\u2019s meaning for our work and relationships, for those struggling to find it.)<\/p>\n 7\u00a0<\/sup>Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine\u00a0with a joyful heart,\u00a0for God has already approved what you do.<\/span>\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>Always be clothed in white,\u00a0and always anoint your head with oil.<\/span>\u00a09\u00a0<\/sup>Enjoy life with your wife,\u00a0whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun\u2014all your meaningless days. For this is your lot\u00a0in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.<\/span>10\u00a0<\/sup>Whatever\u00a0your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,\u00a0for in the realm of the dead,\u00a0where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.<\/span>\u00a0(Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is the bottom line for King Solomon:<\/p>\n Now all has been heard;<\/span> \u00a0<\/p>\n Image by\u00a0John Hain<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay,\u00a0<\/a>Pixabay License.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We Christians often speak of non-believers as \u201clost.\u201d\u00a0 That is no metaphor today.\u00a0 For all of the technology that makes our lives easier and more pleasant, many of us\u2013non-believers but probably some believers as well\u2013feel that their lives and existence itself are meaningless. I came across a fascinating description and analysis of today\u2019s angst-ridden mindset.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":42357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,33,35,37,40,44,48],"tags":[8463,4632,8460,1984],"class_list":["post-42345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible","category-nature","category-philosophy-2","category-psychology","category-science","category-technology","category-vocation","tag-ecclesiastes","tag-existentialism","tag-meaninglessness","tag-secularism"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Life is good these days, depending on how you define and measure it.<\/h4>\n
But statistics fail to capture something profoundly personal in all this. . . .<\/h4>\n
There seems to be a general vibe in the air these days.<\/h4>\n
Meaninglessness doesn\u2019t show up as a belief in nothing, but as an obsession with a thousand different things.<\/h4>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>says the Teacher.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u201cUtterly meaningless!<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Everything is meaningless.\u201d\u00a0 (Ecclesiastes 1:2; NIV)<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I refused my heart no pleasure.<\/span><\/span>
\nMy heart took delight in all my labor,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and this was the reward for all my toil.<\/span><\/span>
\nYet when I surveyed all that my hands had done<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and what I had toiled to achieve,<\/span><\/span>
\neverything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>nothing was gained under the sun.\u00a0 (Ecclesiastes 1:10-11; NIV)<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>here is the conclusion of the matter:<\/span><\/span>
\nFear God\u00a0and keep his commandments,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>for this is the duty of all mankind.<\/span><\/span>
\nFor God will bring every deed into judgment,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>including every hidden thing,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>whether it is good or evil.\u00a0 (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n