Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Reality of Meaning

The fact that we can imagine, comprehend, or even deny the concept of meaning shows that meaning does exist. Otherwise, we could never have thought of it. It is impossible to complain of meaninglessness unless we have some idea of what meaning should be, which proves that meaning is a reality that has somehow managed to invade our experience. If light had never existed, it would be impossible for us to imagine it and we would not know to complain of darkness. In a world where all was truly meaningless, the idea of meaning would never occur to us and we would be incapable of complaining of its absence. The idea of meaning is with us because meaning is a reality of the universe we live in and we cannot escape the innate sense of purpose that emanates like an aroma from every created thing.

This sense of meaning points directly to an absolute, and the only absolute that can provide meaning is the God who created this universe for a specific purpose. We find meaning for our own lives when we discover how our individual purpose fits into His purpose. There is no escape. Even when unbelievers step off the cliff of irrationality, God is the unyielding truth that meets them at the bottom.

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