Our Meaning

Our meaning is something unique to every person; it is only what we perceive and how we are perceived. Meaning derived from any individual or society is by definition entirely subjective. The only meaning my existence could ever possibly have is the meaning ascribed to it by those that witness it. Aside from that, I am utterly meaningless. To say there is any objectivity to the purpose or meaning any person may find in life would be to try to apply an individual thought to the entire universe. It is only natural for humans to be so desperate to find meaning in life, as the human mind is wired towards finding patterns in even things without pattern; to try to impose order on a universe that lacks it. Meaning is a human construct and therefore has no place in matters that are so far beyond the scope of human understanding as existence is. That isn’t to say that meaning is invalid in its subjectivity. Just because some idea of purpose exists only within one’s mind, its significance isn’t diminished in the slightest because it’s still just as true to that individual. 

God in 2010

For the most part, religion in the modern world has a new face. Fanaticism has largely been replaced with adherence only in name. At least in the United States, most would describe themselves as spiritual, but try to distance themselves from dogma. For those people, religion probably plays a minimal role in their lives; God is the reason for their new promotion or their favorite sports team's recent win. There still are fundamentalists, but they're probably outnumbered. For those that describe themselves as spiritual, God is a sort of pantheistic deity. Those that are outspoken about their theism are sometimes ostracized for it, so it's natural that a new-age type of view on religion is so prevalent. Opposite of disassociation with dogma, the thing that keeps most from completely abandoning the notion of the religion they consider themselves a part of is probably the sense of community or comfort it may provide. So people usually follow some form of diluted Christianity to avoid isolating themselves from that group that they have most likely been a part of since birth, or to avoid having to be genuinely uncertain of the answers to more than a few of the questions of life. Even among those that do strictly follow fundamentalist beliefs, it's rare to see the intolerance exhibited by fringe groups like the Westboro Baptist Church. Considering Christianity's history, it can definitely be credited with making substantial strides in the direction of coexistence. The world would be a much more peaceful place were this the case everywhere.