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Some (awkward?) questions that should be asked, but rarely are

By Graham Preston - posted Wednesday, 6 August 2014


In one Calvin and Hobbes comic strip the following interaction takes place between Calvin and Miss Wormwood.

Calvin: Miss Wormwood, I have a question about this maths lesson?

Miss Wormwood: Yes?

Calvin: Given that sooner or later we're all just going to die, what's the point of learning about integers?

Miss Wormwood: Turn to page 83, class.

Calvin: Nobody likes us big picture people.

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But Calvin is not so easily put off and in another strip the conversation goes like this:

Miss Wormwood: If there are no questions, we'll move on to the next chapter.

Calvin: I have a question.

Miss Wormwood: Certainly Calvin. What is it?

Calvin: What's the point of human existence?

Miss Wormwood: I meant any questions about the subject at hand.

Calvin: Oh. . . Frankly I'd like to have the issue resolved before I expend any more energy on this.

And when Calvin put similar questions to Hobbes:

Calvin: . . . I want to ask you as a tiger, a wild animal close to nature, what you think we're put on earth to do. What's our purpose in life? Why are we here?

Hobbes: We're here to devour each other alive.

These are surely worthwhile questions that Calvin raises. Yet for some reason they can also be rather confronting, thus leading us perhaps to want to set them aside for another day that never seems to come. Miss Wormwood just wants to ignore them, while Hobbes at least provides an answer, but an answer that is more unsettling than anything.

The reality is that, whether we like it or not, we have been born into conscious existence and, as Calvin observes, we are all going to die. Until that happens though we remain a part of this world. Simple prudence would suggest that it would be quite rational to thoroughly address questions such as: What is life about? What, if anything, is life for? And, on what do we base our answers to these questions?

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It would be sensible for each person to do this for their own sake but it would also be useful to know what those who hold, or who seek to hold, positions of power in society would say in answer to those questions. Obviously, people in power can have considerable impact upon the lives of others, thus these questions are not mere academic matters - ideas after all do have consequences.

There are a number of theories about how it is that humanity has come into being but they can be boiled down into just two groups: religious views - those that hold that the universe, including humanity, is the product of some supernatural being's deliberate creative activity, and atheistic views - those that hold that everything has unintentionally happened into being by means of the unconscious interplay of the laws of physics upon the atoms of the universe.

When it comes to death, there are three main views about what happens next: those who believe in reincarnation - there is a repeating cycle of life, death and rebirth with the form of each new birth depending upon one's behaviour in the previous life; secondly those who believe we live just this one life with there being a judgment after death which determines whether the person goes on to live with or is separated from God who created them; and thirdly those who believe that with death comes complete extinction - permanent eternal nothingness.

Given the radically different beliefs that people have about how life came to be and what happens at death, it would be expected that there are also different views about what the life we are presently living is about and what, if anything, it is for.

For those whose lives have little influence upon others, it is reasonable that they may choose to keep their beliefs private but for those whose lives do have power and influence, it is equally reasonable that their beliefs on these things should be on the public record. We should know their beliefs as they are likely to affect what they want to do and where they want to take things.

Those who identify as being an adherent to a particular religion would presumably cite the particular scriptures associated with that religion – Bible for Christians, Koran for Muslims, Bhagavad Gita, amongst many other texts, for Hindus, the writings of L. Ron Hubbard for Scientologists, etc. – as providing the basis for their beliefs.

How might Muslims answer the questions, what is life about? what is it for? – life is about submission to Allah and all that that entails? And Christians? – life is about loving God and loving one's neighbour as oneself? Buddhists? – life is about freeing oneself from all attachments and thus attaining enlightenment?

Hindus, Jews, Mormons, Scientologists, animists and numerous other groups also have their own particular understanding of what life is about and what, if anything, it is for, based on their worldview/ religious texts. All of the above belief systems vary considerably from each other, often with mutually contradictory understandings of things.

Atheists, in rejecting all supernatural beliefs, hold to a naturalistic explanation for the origin of everything and that with death there is complete annihilation of the individual. As far as what life is about or what it is for, life ultimately is not about or for anything: no divine entity caused life to come into existence, there is no objective goal in life for which anyone need aim, and following death there is no accounting for one's life, just non-existence.

Of course atheists can, and do, create personal subjective meanings and goals for their lives, but there is nothing that applies to, or needs to be required from, everyone or anyone, including themselves.

So what might those in power, or seeking to be in power, say if they were pressed for answers to: What is life about? What, if anything, is life for? On what do you base your answers?

Probably some (many?) would simply say that they have no idea. That may be the truth too - perhaps because they have never really thought about these things much, or perhaps because they think that it is not possible to know the answers. It would surely be quite a disturbing thing though if they could honestly say that they have not really thought through what they believe life is about or for. Would we want such people in positions of power and influence?

If on the other hand they say that they don't know the answers because, for whatever reasons, they believe it is not possible to know them, that is hardly any more assuring. If they are in power, what sort of credibility can they have or what sort of leading can they be doing if they believe we can have no idea what, if anything, we should be doing and where, if anywhere, we should be heading?

If they answer that their views about life and what it is for are based upon some religious belief or ideology, let's hear what that belief system is. How credible and coherent are those beliefs? It is easy for someone to give some motherhood statements like, my religious beliefs tell me that life is about caring for and helping all people, but is that really the core teaching of their professed religion? Do they stand by the whole of that religion's teaching or just the parts that suit them?

If they say that on the basis of their own reasoned thought that they adhere to atheism, would they acknowledge that life is not actually about, or for, anything? Would they say that any goals they personally have in life are just those which happen to suit them and which ultimately have no meaning or significance? Would they agree that, if atheism is correct, anyone else's goals, no matter how diametrically opposed to their own they are, are just as "valid" or "invalid" as their own?

It seems to be unavoidable that there will always be people in power and people seeking to be in power, in one form or another. Surely it would be in everybody's interests to know what these people think life is about or for and what they base their beliefs upon.

So, for a start, let's put these questions to all politicians and future candidates for political office. And let's not be satisfied with vague warm and fuzzy statements – what do they really believe and what, if any, is the foundation for those beliefs.

But why stop with politicians; let's also have business leaders, university lecturers and school teachers, military leaders, media personalities, community leaders, research scientists – anyone in a position of influence – tell us what they believe. If they are reluctant or ashamed to tell us, or if their beliefs are incoherent, inconsistent or outright loopy then that should be good reason to be wary of their influence and should give us good cause to vote them out of office where that is possible.

Everyone seems to be busy with one thing or another, but in the end, does any of the busyness really matter?

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About the Author

Graham Preston is an illustrator and a student of life.

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