SECTION SIX. THE MEANINGFUL LIFE

In the final analysis, where does this excursion into the meaning of life leave us? We have covered a lot of ground, yet it seems as though we toughed only lightly on any particular subject. What remains for me to do is to give a quick summary and for all of us to critically examine our plan-of-actions which constitute our lives to make certain that we are doing the right actions.

Life and one's life is what one makes of it. The history of the universe will be the history of the evolution or creation of order and beauty or the destruction of them. How one allies himself with the forces that produce one of those ends determines the value of his existence. What one does as a consequence of that alliance will determine just how much goodness or badness will occur in the world, which is to say, how much meaning the world will have through that person. One's life attains meaning through the creative works to produce good and beauty in the world or to overcome the forces that would destroy those things. A good person is a moral artist in the highest sense. He creates himself from options chosen from rational criteria. He is committed to making this world and himself more beautiful (in the simplest sense, more livable) by his being in it. The history of his life, the canvas he leaves behind, is neither empty nor ugly, but is an inspiration by which other persons may inspect their actions and continue the quest for meaning.

It may be well to end with a story. In fact, I suspect the story captures much more of what I want to say than the philosophical journey we have endured. The story has many messages, but there is one in it I put there just for you. I’ll not tell you which one it is, but shall leave it to you to discover it and make it your own.

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