Meaning

I am fascinated with people who seek meaning or significance in everyday events. "Oh, did you see that? That means..." It is a form of fortune-telling for some. For others, it is a form of whistling in the dark to allay anxiety. Meaning is often associated with the divine, the mystical.

It seems to me that life is a chaotic affair. The most well-planned day turns to mushy pudding with just one turn of events. My own body deteriorates before my eyes despite all my preventative health measures. A glass slips from my hand after countless grasps of that same glass without an incident. 

I suppose my own humanist practice is a form of injecting some meaning into my individual existence. However, I am never fool enough to think that any meaning I may gather from it is anything but a puff of smoke in the wind. It is the process of seeking meaning which is sustaining. My kindness to another person has no sustained meaning, but my development of a habit of kindness every day means something important to me. It means I have the ability as a human being to change, to grow, to improve.