Finding The Meaning In Life
Life cannot be understood. As Winston Churchill once said, “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Although he was talking about Russia, the description fits quite nicely when thinking about life.
Life cannot be figured out. Our human minds do not have the capability to understand life. We were not the creators of life. How can a created, limited thing- comprehend the infinite logic and wisdom of the creator?
It can’t. So any attempts by our minds to make sense of life run aground- like a boat that has stalled in shallow waters. They are stuck with no place to go. Why does a child have to contract cancer, suffer, and die? Why are there senseless killings of innocent people? Genocide? Why the holocaust?
Answers for these troubling questions leave us at a loss. Any attempts by our mind to figure them out fall short. Clearly, at the deepest level we will never be able to truly comprehend why such horrible things happen. Our limited understand just doesn’t allow it. Hence when we look with the mind’s eye the meaning of life is elusive. It lies hidden, past our sight within a fog. And although we can strain our sight and squint our eyes, life’s mysteries remain outside our grasp of comprehension. They lie hidden within the mist. So where does that leave us? Where can we turn when faced with trying to make sense of challenges and difficulty?
One way may be to abandon our attempts to understand the intricacies of existence with our minds. Perhaps our intellect isn’t the right tool to be used in this search. The mystical Sufi’s have said that our minds cannot understand the Divine wisdom. Only the heart they say can contain God.
Perhaps it’s time to begin examining life in a different fashion. If we can’t see our way through the fog with our minds, perhaps we should begin looking with a different eye. Maybe it’s time to begin looking at life through the eye of the heart.
What does this mean, to look with the eye of the heart? Although we don’t normally think of being able to perceive with the heart, it can be done. Medical research performed at the Heart-Math Institute in California has shown that the human heart has an intelligence that is independent from the brain. In fact, the neural connections leading out of the heart and moving towards the brain are actually larger than the brain’s input to the heart.
What is most interesting is that our hearts see things differently from our minds. When faced with an incomprehensible situation of suffering, our minds may not be big enough to wrap around such a tragedy. They cannot contain it. They go dizzy trying to figure out why it happened!
But our heart doesn’t analyze. It doesn’t compartmentalize. Our hearts are holistic. They are organic. Our heart’s feel into an issue, and then integrate what is happening on every level. They incorporate data from the emotions, our minds, and even our spirit- to make sense of something in a broader way.
They don’t have to figure it out. They only need to connect. They feel the pain, or experience the sense of loss. The heart’s intelligence, its wisdom comes via this connection. It is a connection of love, a connection of comfort and concern.
Does a mother need to analyze why her crying child has scraped his/her knee? Does she need to figure out the meaning of such an event? No, all she needs to do is gather the child up into her arms and hold them tightly. Love then spills forth from her heart, and her despondent child is bathed in love. At this point the accident, the tragedy doesn’t matter.
It has become lost within the loving confines of the heart. Is this possible to do? Can we learn to see with the eye of the heart? Sure many mystical paths offer simple methods, techniques for coming more from the heart. You can learn to become more heart-centered. To catch a flavor of what is possible pick up a copy of Rumi’s poetry. His mystical writing’s can give you a glimpse into the world of the “heart seeing.”
How do we find meaning in life? Abandon the mind, and look with the eye of your heart.
And then don’t look back.
Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.
Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C. is an author, public speaker, and pastor with a passion for helping people improve their heart health. Dr. Laman is also aboard certified cardiologist and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University- College of Osteopathic Medicine. His special interest is in heart disease prevention. Dr. Laman offers a free monthly newsletter on his website called “Mending Hearts.” His book, “How to Heal Your Broken Heart,” (http://www.HealingYourBrokenHeart.com) is designed to help people struggling with issues of the heart. Go to: www.drlaman.com for further information about Dr. Laman and his teachings.
