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Beyond meaning-making
Can life offer us more than the stories we tell ourselves?
On the surface, meaning-making sounds just dandy. Something to do. Someone to love. Social causes. They all seem to have a place in life. Yet, when we take a closer look, we may notice that the substrates from which we make “meaning” are actually quite distorted and limited. “Reality” as we know it may not be where meaning lies or where we can construct meaning from.
We cannot reliably make meaning from what our senses tell us: For instance, you may be convinced that you are still if you are sitting down. Yet, the earth is actually moving at approximately 1000 miles/hour. You may think the ground is flat. Yet, we know that the earth is spherical in shape. You may not be able to see light in the ultraviolet spectrum, but bats can. Similarly, snakes can see infrared light, while humans cannot.
Also, we see ourselves in mirrors as if we are intact and mostly skin and bones, when we are in fact at least 50% bacteria, and up to 60% of the adult human body is water. These are some of the facts that indicate that our senses deceive or limit us, so we cannot rely on them to make any meaning.
Implication: We need to look beyond our five senses. They are a limited source of evidence.
