A cause greater than yourself

Note: I struggled with trying to explain clearly what I was thinking regarding this, so hopefully it is indeed clear. If not I apologize.


In my last post I talked about the importance of recognizing the fact that we are already dead if we are to be of any use in furthering our "Great Crusade." Meaning that no matter what cause we are in we must recognize that there is no way that we will preserve our life, since all humans do in fact die, if we are to accept the cost of furthering that cause. I also mentioned that this was a good crisis to have, but in order to have it you must first recognize yourself in a cause that is greater than yourself. Since it seems to be increasingly common these days for people to fail to recognize themselves in a cause that is greater than themselves, I promised a follow-up post on this topic.

How you answer the question "What is the meaning of life?" I think plays a large part in whether or not you see yourself in a cause greater than yourself. While everyone has already answered this question I do not think that everyone has realized that they have answered this question. How this question is answered determines our "Great Crusade,"  and if it is not given serious consideration then you will not see yourself as part of a cause that is greater than yourself. This doesn't mean that you aren't part of one, just that you don't recognize yourself in one.


Now some people will answer this and say that there is no meaning in life, therefore there is no greater cause to give myself to. However I do not believe that such people have truly concluded this because if they had the next logical question is: "Why do I bother living then if there is no meaning?" So my view is that someone who is alive, who says that there is no meaning in life, has probably not really concluded this.


The answer to this question is not an intellectual one, but one that is lived out in your life. It is not a philosophical system, but a goal towards which you are striving with your life. It should be the overarching purpose in your life and all your activities should somehow aid in accomplishing this purpose. It is the why behind everything you do. This is my reasoning behind my conclusion in the above paragraph also. I think our real answer to this question is evidenced by how our lives are lived, thus our intellect may betray us regarding this question. Just to be sure, this doesn't mean that you need to, or should, devote your life completely to this purpose, but that commitment to it should be evident throughout your life.


How do you find this purpose? Well I think it comes down to your worldview, that is how you answer the "why" questions of life. Why are humans here? Why do we reproduce? Why is there food to nourish us? Why are we creative? Why are we moral? Why do we have emotions? Why are we rational? I do not mean how all these things exist or came into being, but WHY they exist; what is the purpose for their existing.


So I think that finding your "Great Crusade" is as simple, and complicated, as finding (and believing) a worldview. Unfortunately for us Americans there are many things with which we can distract ourselves to avoid giving serious consideration to this worldview question. However I think this is a question well worth considering because we will all die, and we all want our lives to have meaning. Finding a worldview is the foundation from which you will find your "Great Crusade."