The title of my blog has been on the mind of many – if not all – philosophers (eg, Aeon). The thought that there must be a meaning, purpose, reason or “point” is an example of a (philosophical) belief. Humans believe that there must be more to life than just living (eg, eating, sleeping, working). This human belief has far reaching consequences.
The human belief, that there must be more to life than just living, makes us search for:
- Love: agape or divine Love (faith in Allah, God or Yahweh), eros (eg, hedonism);
- Knowledge: Philosophy (eg, in pursuit of happiness, my blogs #1, #2, #3), Science (eg, eternal life), and the Truth (eg, conspiracy theories);
- Power: a search for (more) Money, Politics and/or Religion (eg, greed).
These 7 Belief systems (2016 version, 2019 update) are the drivers of human behaviour. For a long time, these 7 Beliefs systems have been in balance through 3 domains: Love, Knowledge and Power. This triangle is also known as trialism (my blogs). The disappearing influence of the domain of (divine) Love has been causing dualism – or Knowledge = Power (Wiki).
It seems to me that the more we know, the less we understand (eg, about the meaning of life). Other people reached similar conclusions: Albert Einstein quote, Aristotle quote, Don Henley quote, and Laozi quote. Also see my 2016 blog: the meaning of Life = living a meaningful life.
These human beliefs also explain my classification of lifeforms: (1) Needs (all lifeforms), (2) Wants (species using tools), and (3) Beliefs (only humans). From a human perspective, many African countries are still in the Needs phase. Many Arab and Asian countries are in the Wants stage – or consumerism. Western countries are mostly in the Beliefs stage.
Species without beliefs show a straightforward purpose in life: (1) cooperation, (2) learning (ie, adaptation to Change), and (3) reproduction in order to survive as a species. All these three components are being challenged by different human beliefs.
At times, it looks like that these arrogant human beliefs are just another ziggurat to challenge our Supreme Being, like the ancient Sumerians did with their Tower of Babel (eg, Smithsonian). Human ignorance prevents us from realising that we can only lose. Sometimes, this development makes me wonder: what is the point of it all?
“Where ignorance is bliss, it’s foolish to be wise.” An excerpt from the 1742 poem “On a Distant Prospect of Eton College” by Thomas Gray (1716-1777), an English poet and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
The Heart of the Matter (1990) by Don Henley
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
I’m learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise
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