Reading Reflection and Reaction 9

Pink: Meaning
Classmates: prepare yourselves for a lovely class tomorrow!  Hopefully it doesn't rain and ruin our plans for being outside, but I hope you are all excited to learn about Pink's sense of Meaning.  In this last chapter of the book, Pink discusses how important it has become to lead meaningful lives.  He states that in the Conceptual Age, "freed from the struggle for survival, we have the luxury of devoting more of our lives to the search for meaning (218)."  While I don't agree that it is a "luxury" to think about what our lives mean (since we have been doing it since the beginning of our existence), I do agree that it is important to live a happy life.  In quite a lot of the chapter, Pink spends a bit of time talking about the role of religion in meaning, and I struggled a lot when reading that portion of the chapter.  As a practitioner of yoga, I believe that meditation and quiet thoughts can greatly benefit one's happiness, but I do not align with any religion.  During the chapter, Pink attributes happiness and meaning in life to finding a higher power and I found myself in an inner dispute with this portion of the chapter.  I do believe that it is of the utmost importance to respect the beliefs of others, especially if those affiliations make meaning in someone else's life.  In my eyes, Pink hit the nail on the head in the latter portion of the chapter, where he discusses happiness.  I believe in living in the moment, in being present in every situation and paying close attention to surroundings, and I believe that doing so can lead to happiness.  Sometimes this makes me a quiet individual, but it does not mean that I lack attention or the capacity to contemplate situations.  I think that happiness and meaning come from this area of quiet, that thoughts and meditation and being alive are enough.  Someone else says this a bit more eloquently than I:

"I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness.  That is clear.  Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life.  So I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness." -The Dalai Lama

UPDATE:  Monday's class was an incredible experience for me.  While most of you were writing, I sat in stillness and quiet an absorbed all of the emotion that occurred during the letter writing process.  Thanks for a great day.