Musings Report #38 09-22-13 What Is the Meaning of Life?
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What Is the Meaning of Life?
The phrase "the meaning of life" is so cliched that it invites mockery. Despite the risk, I invoke it here to describe an assessment of purpose, value and priority: what is providing the meaning in our life?
Having just returned from a rather whirlwind 10-day camping tour of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, I return to daily life filled with the sort of questions that arise (or should arise in an examined life) when we withdraw from our routine long enough to question the assumptions we've made about meaning, self-expression and identity.
For starters, it seems that the natural human desire for simple answers confounds the complexity of life's meanings. The search for one simple answer to "what is the meaning of life?" is of course the basis for the jokes and cliches: the supplicant climbs to the top of the mountain and asks the white-beared sage "what is the meaning of life?" and receives a witty reply.
My favorite in this genre is the "B.C." comic in which the sage replies, "to supply carbon dioxide to the plants."
The question's real bite comes from the brevity of life, and this also provides the context of its complexity: the meaning of life at 20 years of age is different from that of 40, 60 or 80 years of age: the meanings, priorities and purposes of life evolve with us. At 59, soon to be 60, my sense of meaning is changing as I absorb the impossible fact that most of my life is already in the rear view mirror, and as a consequence every project and priority takes on a new urgency.
If we are ill, then the meaning of life is very clear: to get well. Nothing else matters. When it comes to mental health, that goal is less clear than purely physical health. The mind and body are one, to be sure, but we can be physically hale and psychologically troubled or dissatisfied with the direction and implicit priorities of our lives.
The complexity of the human mind adds complexity to the question of meaning, as does the shifting ground beneath us: what seemed self-evident in terms of purpose and meaning in one circumstance becomes empty in another situation.
All this boils down to another question: what's truly important? Not for the whole of humanity, or the planet, or others, but for us as individuals. The recognition that what we assumed was important is actually meaningless is a standard of stories and films, and it seems to me--from the semi-chaotic vortex that is my life and mind--that asking "what's really important?" is a better question than "what's the meaning of life?" to reach the same destination: to re-assess our goals, purposes and priorities, and to question the clarity of our self-realization and the depth of our inquiry.
Market Musings
I expected the market to rise, but not necessarily to new highs, but here we are. Many fine technicians have long set targets for the SPX (S&P 500) of 1725, 1750 or even 1800, so a new high is not entirely unexpected to the technicians among us. We all know the conventional explanation: the Fed's refusal to reduce its $1 trillion-per-year stimulus (QE) surprised the market, which leaped in response. The jump certainly looks like short-covering, as once again everyone who bet against the Fed is whacked.
That said, the markets are not just volatile, they are erratic; wild swings up and down in gold, bonds and stocks are characteristic of pre-crash markets, for example, September 1929. This is not to suggest I expect a repeat of October 1929--it is merely noting that erratic volatility is not a characteristic of bullishness; rather, it is evidence of uncertainty and rising risk.
It is treacherous to bet against the market but it may be equally treacherous to bet that the Bull will continue powering ahead for the rest of the year. Non-US markets are precariously dependent on the pixie dust of continuing "strong" data that is suspect: recovery in Europe, strong factory orders in China, etc.
Crashes start on the margins, for example, India, and then spread quickly as participants realize the speculative jig is up. The Fed/Bank of Japan/Bank of China and European Central Bank will not be able to stop the decline except by buying equities and bonds directly in huge volumes. Such a move would complete the socialization of markets.
Best Thing That Happened to Me This Week
We hiked the 11.7 mile (round-trip) trail to Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park in Montana. Despite the relatively late date (summers are brief in Glacier), we had near-perfect weather for a fairly strenuous hike from around 5,000 feet to nearly 7,000 feet in elevation.
The lake formed by the glacier's melting ice is spectacular, as is the view down the valley to the three lakes below. Big-Horn sheep were grazing on the hillsides at higher elevations... some sources list the elevation gain as 1,600 ft., others as 1,840 ft.; since we started at the parking lot, not the boat dock, I think the 1,800 ft. rise is more accurate. In any event, I am grateful to be in good enough shape to make this climb and not feel any adverse effects.
From Left Field
Mapping the Urban Harvest (via cheryl A.) -- interesting site and concept. The quantity of urban fruit lost to lack of interest in harvesting it is stupendous.
The Unhealthiest Vegetable? Corn, a staple of the American diet, isn’t looking so golden anymore. Here, the kernels of truth. (via Nicole D.)
The Man Who Came to Dinner: Julian Assange hasn’t set foot outside Ecuador’s London embassy in more than a year... (via Maoxian) Perhaps the one person the global Elites fear more than any other...
In Conversation: Michael Bloomberg (via Maoxian) Unusually blunt talk for a politico, probably because he doesn't need to kiss any derrieres for campaign contributions....
Amazing Japanese Manhole Covers (via Maoxian) -- highly artistic manhole covers appear to be common in Japan... I didn't notice any on my trips... is there a policy behind these designs?
Thanks for reading--
charles
