User Tools

Site Tools


jn_en_2011_02_17

Deutsche Version | Wiki Start | Topics Collection iii

Faith Journey 13b - Partial Answers and the Mystery of Dedication ...

Thursday, Feb 17, 2011. We have asked basic questions in our last session. Where do we come from? Where are we going? Why and what for are we doing what we do? What is the meaning of our life?

Partial Answers and Three Craftsmen …

Humans have always found partial answers to the question for meaning. But also, many of us are suffering because we do not have the answers we need. Life is boring, and since we search for fulfillment, we try to fill the void in us by various activities. But this type of meaning is usually only of short duration. Who is searching for lust, will need to get more and more until it is completely gone.

There are other signs of a crisis. There is the impressive speed of our life in a modern society. We might see it as an effort to avoid the void. The less meaning we have, the quicker we try to move.

There is a classical story about meaning and purpose of life.

Once there were three craftsmen. The were asked what they do. The first one said: I am working with stone. The second one said: I am putting stone on stone. The third one said: I build a cathedral. Who of the three had meaning in their life?

We want and need to be part of something larger, which we can be dedicated to.

Discovering Dedication …

There are well-known examples of dedication. People got meaning by giving their life to others. You have heard of Albert Schweitzer, who gave his life to the sick in Afrika, where he built a hospital and helped thousands. Mother Theresa worked in the slums of Kalkutta, Martin Luther King fought for the black people, to get them accepted as humans in the modern society. Also Jesus gave himself - we will come back to this. Other people give their life to a political party, to some initiative, to the environment, to peace, love …

They all receive meaning by dedication! The loose themselves. Doing this they experience meaning.

All humans have the longing, to dedicate themselves to something which is larger than they are! ... more texts

jn_en_2011_02_17.txt · Last modified: 2017/06/18 16:48 by 127.0.0.1